Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, with some new releases, both large press and indie, for you to cast your eyeballs onto — and also one of the most gorgeously fantastical Etsy shops I’ve run across yet. Also… how the heck is it Tuesday already? Where did the weekend go? Who said that was okay? I hope you had a more chill, relaxing weekend than I did. (And if not, you have my sympathy!) Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s somewhere to start: NDN Collective and Jane’s Due Process.
Bookish Goods
Peter Pan Crown by tuahadedana
I stumbled across this shop while looking around and I am just… gobsmacked by the pieces this person makes. They specialize in crowns, blind masks, and claws, and all of them are intricate and gorgeous. If you love goth or witchy stuff, you should definitely check this out. $74
New Releases
Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen
Violet is a witch who has gotten herself a position in the royal court with clever phrased and selectively truthful prophecies and divinations. But Prince Cyrus is onto her and plans to eject her from the court as soon as he’s crowned. Violet takes her opportunity to strike back at him when the king asks her to prophecy Cyrus’s love story for a ball… and the false tale she weaves awakens a curse that could destroy or save the kingdom.
The Valkyrie’s Daughter by Tiana Warner
Sigrid was born an ordinary girl with an ordinary fate — she was even paired with the plainest possible horse instead of the winged mare of a valkyrie. She had nothing to look forward to but life as a stablehand… until Vanaheim is invaded and she sees a vision of herself leading the valkyries into battle. But to find this new destiny, the must face a fallen valkyrie who has allied herself with Vanaheim’s enemies.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
As this month draws to a close, I wanted to shine a spotlight on indie press offerings. Here are two works freshly translated into English, soon to be released!
Witches by Brenda Lozano translated by Heather Cleary
A woman named Paloma is murdered, and the journalist sent to report on her murder, Zoe, soon discovers that she was once a woman named Gaspar, who came from a remote mountain village. She follows Gaspar’s trail to find Feliciana, a traditional healer who had taught Gaspar secrets and ceremonies after struggling to find her place in her own community.
Telluria by Vladimir Sorokin translated by Max Lawton
In the wake of a modern holy war between Christianity and Islam, the world has broken into a torpid, disorganized place. The European states, Russia, and China have all broken into neo-feudal bodies. All the populace can agree on any more is their hunger for the substance tellurium, a spike of which if driven into the brain provides a profound bliss — and otherwise kills.
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.