Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got a couple more new releases for you…and a mermaid theme! I know we’re a long way from MerMay, but when Natasha Bowen writes a sequel to Skin of the Sea, I sure can’t say no. It’s also the last Friday of September, if you can believe it. We are almost to what is, in my humble opinion, the best month of the year. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you in October!
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s somewhere to start: NDN Collective and Jane’s Due Process.
Bookish Goods
Decoupage Art Deco Mermaid Clam Shell by LifeIsland
These clam shells are decorated on the inside with a decoupage mermaid (choose your own hair color) and are perfect as a ring dish or for holding other small trinkets. $37
New Releases
How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy
Shay Johnson is going places and has plans for her life; she’s already top of her class at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, and now she just needs to win the Brockton Scholarship to get into her dream university. But if she wants the scholarship, she has to co-star in her school’s musical with her academic nemesis, Ana Álvarez. But as they work on the musical together, she discovers Ana might not be the enemy she once thought — and could be more than a friend. And Shay needs all the friends she can get, after being on the receiving end of some very inappropriate attention from the head of the scholarship committee.
Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen
Simi traded everything to save those she loves; now she has sworn herself to a new god and must stay at the bottom of the ocean, watching over the Land of the Dead. But when demons begin to appear, Simi realizes that they have a way into the human world now — and it’s her fault. To save the world, she must break her oath and team up with the trickster god to go on a perilous quest. But if they succeed, she might just be able to unbreak her heart, too.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Thanks to Soul of the Deep, I’ve got mermaids on the brain again. Good thing there are a lot of awesome mermaid-related books to choose from, eh?
Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town of Havnested ever since the death of her best friend, Anna. But one day, a girl who looks eerily like Anna comes out of the sea, and she and Evie together catch the eyes of two princes. This new Anna has her own secrets, however, and one of them is she can’t stay on land without Evie’s help — and magic. Desperate for a happy ending, Evie uses her power to save Anna’s land legs, only to discover what she’s bargained away is her own prince’s heart.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
Mina’s homeland has been battered by storms for generations, and the people believe it’s because of the anger of the Sea God — anger that must be appeased with the sacrifice of a beautiful maiden every year. When her older brother’s love is chosen, Mina sacrifices herself instead. But the sea doesn’t end her life — instead she’s swept away to the Spirit Realm, where she finds out that the Sea God is not angry, but in an enchanted sleep. She must find a way to wake him, though here are many who will do anything to stop her.
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.