Monday 4 May 2015

On My Radar: Upcoming May Releases

   April was my last month of school, and the month I graduated, so I hope you'll forgive me for not writing up a post for that month. But I am so excited to share May releases with you! Lots of good ones this month--it took little-to-no effort to come with ten books, which is ironic, because I was thinking of cutting back the list to five books. Anyway, without further ado, May's Radar Reads!



Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond (May 1)

   The Smallville fangirl in me had a major jaw-drop moment when I saw this book on Goodreads. GUYS IT'S A LOIS LANE NOVEL. Honestly, there isn't much I know about the plot--I didn't bother to read the summary, because all I needed to see were the words LOIS. LANE. NOVEL. and I was sold! Let's hope that this Lois Lane is more Erica Durance than Kate Beckinsale *shudders at the memory of Superman Returns*.




A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (May 5)

    I'm going to come off as a horrible book blogger, because, once again, I didn't read the summary for ACoTaR. All I needed to know was that it was a Sarah J. Maas novel. You know, the author of a little series called Throne of Glass? The creative genius behind Celaena Sardothien? THAT Sarah J. Maas? She could write a thousand page novel on mathematics (Salve's worst subject) and I would STILL read it. I hope she reads this. Hi Sarah. I love you. #SenpaiNoticeMe

(Seriously speaking, this book is centered around the faerie world and SJM says it's in the same Megaverse as ToG--"Celaena could open a Wyrdgate and go to the ACoTar world.")




The Heir by Kiera Cass (May 5)

I have mixed feelings about this fourth Selection novel because:

 a. It's another Selection novel--we go through the motions of the Selection once again?!?

 b. It's literally a 352-page spoiler for the first three Selection novels. From the title to the summary, it's quite clear who America chooses at the end of the first trilogy. This fourth book is about America and Maxon's daughter's Selection process, hence the title The Heir.

 That being said, it's still a Selection novel *happy dancing* and I'd be insane not to include this on my list.
 



The Wrath & The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh (May 12)

   Yay for fairytale retellings! Yay for Eastern high fantasies! YAY FOR A SCHEHERAZADE STORY!!! I loved the very first Scheherazade retelling I read, which was Cameron Dokey's The Storyteller's Daughter. The setting, the story, the images she conjured up were just beautiful. I'm excited to revisit this world of Arabian nights again--the fact that YA authors have been going on non-stop about this novel on Twitter is a great big plus, too.


A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin (May 19)

   Set during Napoleon's reign, this book is set at Stranje House, where girls are sent if they can't be married off. Apparently that automatically means you're an unusual girl. The title itself sounds like a rip-off of the Peculiar Children series, but I do love me some historical fiction, and I've rarely ventured into the Napoleonic era, so I'll choose to ignore it. And may I say that that is a gorgeous outfit on the cover. Four for you. 
 


Hold Me Like A Breath by Tiffany Schmidt (May 19)

   Ahhh, the mob. Our protagonist is the member of a family that made its name in black market organ dealings. The police procedural fan in me is drooling. She also suffers from an illness herself, and I can't wait to see how the author will tie the two plot points together. Another thing that's got me drooling? The series name: Once Upon A Crime Family. I LIKE IT.




 They Call Me Alexandra Gastone by T.A. Maclagan (May 20)

   Say it with me: teenage sleeper agents. That is precisely the plot of They Call Me Alexandra Gastone. Alexandra is supposed to be a normal high school student, but she's really from the fictional country of Olissa, and she was sent to the US as a child to one day grow up and take down the American government from the inside. For someone who spent her teenage years watching A LOT of Alias episodes, this summary sounds like heaven to me.

Pro tip: Aside from binging on J.J. Abrams' Alias, watch Angelina Jolie's Salt before reading this book if you need to get into the whole spy mood. Also it's just a really good movie.


  


Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler (May 26)

   I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this book's synopsis. It's a contemporary Virgin. Mary. Retelling. It's such a ridiculous, enormous, insane plot to take on that it might just work! And how can you not be curious about this novel? Virgin. Mary. Retelling. What more can I say other than those three words?



 

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider (May 26)

   While I usually don't include contemporary reads on this list, this one's summary had me too intrigued to say no. Two childhood friends meet once again at a sanatorium for terminally ill kids suffering from tuberculosis. From what I can tell, the whole story takes place inside the hospital, and I'm really curious to see how the author will play it out. I'm mentally prepping myself that this story will not have a happy ending (curse you John Green, for giving me eternal paranoia about illness plots in YA!!!), and I just know that after reading this novel I'll have to drown my sorrows in ice cream and Disney movies. Bring it on.



The Cage by Megan Shepherd (May 26)

    A dystopian novel that has aliens kidnapping teens to live in a zoo. WHAT A LINE. The blurb has called it "The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld". How crazy can a book plot get??? Hint: No, it cannot. While I've never read a Megan Shepherd novel before, she's been on my Author TBR list for forever, and I've heard nothing but good things about her. I have 100% faith that she can pull off this crazy plot.

And that's it for this month's Radar Reads! Can't wait to get my hands on these babies. Wait. Never mind. I totally can. My TBR shelves (yes, plural) are giving me hate-filled glares as I type. They're saying, "Saaaaalve. Read us firsssssst." If you insist.

xoxo, 
Salve
@cuckooforbooks

photocreds and summaries go to Goodreads.