On My Radar: Upcoming November Releases

   I'm going to start off by saying that November's lineup disappointed me. Usually, there's a whole bunch of YA books coming out, and I have to dial down my excitement and choose only 10. But this month, there weren't enough YA books to be excited about that I actually had to tread into the--gasp!--general fiction section. Just kidding, I love books from all genres. Yet even in the GenFic section, there weren't a lot of promising releases. To be fair, the fact that I don't include sequels on this list took a lot of books out of the running. Anyway, enough of complaining. Without further ado, my Top 10 for November:

The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson (November 4)

   As you may or may not know, Melanie Dickerson is one of those authors I'm a fan of....but have never actually read anything by them. I think, from what I've read in the Goodreads summary, that this is a Frog Prince retelling, although there was no mention of a princess spying whatsoever. But let's take a moment to look at that gorgeous cover. Aaah, to live in a fairytale world and spend your days parading around in lovely gowns. 

The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan by Stephanie Thornton (November 4)

   If there's one thing I want to learn more about as a history buff, it's Asian history. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, but I can't seem to find as many Asian royal biographies as I do European ones (if you guys have suggestions, please do leave them in the comments!). I really hope I can land a copy of The Tiger Queens; even though it is historical fiction, it's a stepping stone, right?

Forbidden by Kimberly Griffiths Little (November 4)

   I'm just going to start off by saying that if I were an author (or a publisher, as I understand sometimes they're the ones with the final say), I wouldn't choose a title as generic as Forbidden. Seriously, this is book is one of six books that popped up in the Goodreads search machine. I do love that cover, though. Man, I'd pay pretty money for that dress. This book is set in ancient Mesopotamia, which helps my resolution to read more historical fiction set outside of Western Europe. 

The Walled City by Ryan Graudin (November 4)

    I guess this is your typical dystopia, which isn't a bad thing at all. Now that the most of the dystopian trilogies that were born in the aftermath of The Hunger Games are wrapping up with their final books, I've been looking for a worthy successor. I love how The Walled City seems to be high on grit: drugs and brothels galore. Also, one of the characters follows in Mulan, Alanna, and Arya Stark's footsteps and dresses in drag. Can she (and this book) live up to these three amazing women?

The Silence of Six by E.C. Meyers (November 5)

   I'm going to be honest and say that the summary of this book does nothing for me. Buuuut, the book blogging community have been over the moon with this novel; they can't stop raving about it. It's about the hacking world, I believe? And this guy's best friend shoots himself and now said guy has to figure out why? I'm not really into that kinda shiz, but ahhh, we shall see, we shall see.

The Last Changeling by Chelsea Pitcher (November 8)

   I sometimes like to joke that I'm a changeling child myself, because I look nothing like my baby pictures. But then I realize that I'm a dead ringer for my father, and that theory goes right out the window. Anyway, I haven't read a faerie series since Wicked Lovely, and I've been itching to delve into the world once more. I've toyed with starting Julie Kagawa's books (yes or no? Comment below!), but I could also start with this book. And what a pretty cover! So sparkly. The only thing I really don't like about these fae series is that they're usually set in modern times, with a dash of supernatural romance. I just feel that I've kind of grown out of that genre. Now it's go big or go home: Realistic contemporary, or high fantasy. There have been exceptions though (i.e., Starcrossed and Mortal Danger), so maybe this book will join those lucky ones.

Stone Cove Island by Suzanne Myers (November 11)
 
   This book was marketed as "The Stepford Wives meets Stephen King". HOW COULD I NOT BE ONBOARD FOR THAT?! Seriously, this is probably the book I'm most excited about. I've loved lighthouses and their place in horror since I read The Babysitters Club Mysteries: Claudia and the Lighthouse Ghost, which I will still swear up and down is one of the creepiest novels I've ever read. Like that novel, Stone Cove Island has to do with an unsolved murder. Also, this book is set in "a sleepy New England town". Murder, She Wrote, anyone?

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel (November 11)

   I LOVE dystoptian novels where breeding and marriage is a plot fixture. It's just such a sacred thing to most people, and so reading about a twisted version of it is just so deliciously creepy. The Book of Ivy is about a girl who has an arranged marriage with the enemy, but is really sent to kill him. Wooooh. I've gotta say, that cover of a pretty little bride hiding a knife behind her back nails the plot perfectly. I'm pumped to read this one!

The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson (November 18)

   Ooh, ~*General Fiction*~. La belle epoque is one of my favorite historical time periods, and this book is set smack dab in the middle of it. The story is about a poor girl who is apprenticed to a rich family, rich family has secrets, poor girl is caught in the web of lies, you get the gist. But I genuinely am excited to read about this. I've only read a couple of books set in this time period and I would love to add more to my collection.

Trail of Shadows and Blood by Carina King (November 18)

   I searched EVERYWHERE for this book's cover. It's come to the point where I'm not actually sure this book exists. I would love for it to be real though, its plot sounds amazing. The protagonist is a Grimm, and there's a battle between fairytale characters, and it's set in the future, and just whoa. Please, please, please be a legit book.