The Map Shop

  Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy. I'm an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See the bottom of this post for more information. Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen is the first in a new YA series being published by Tor Teen. This book will become available on May 7th, 2019. Jensen is also the author of the Malediction Trilogy and The Bridge Kingdom series.  Dark Shores is a fantasy based on Ancient Rome and the Aztec Empire (possibly, it's unclear which culture inspired this second empire so I have to guess on this part based on location and some little cultural hints that I could be getting completely wrong). There are some trigger warnings for torture, murder, war. Dark Shores follows Teriana, a seventeen year old second mate of a seafaring, merchant society called the Maarin, and Marcus, the Legatus of the Thirty-Seventh Legion who is known for his strategies in battle as well as his ruthlessness as they are threatened and blackmailed by a power hungry se...

  Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. If you're interested in reading the works of emerging writers, see the link at the bottom of the post. Descendant of the Crane by Joan He was published by Albert Whitman Company and will be available on the shelves on April 9th, 2019. This is He's debut novel. This novel starts with the princess, Hesina, committing treason in order to find her father's murderer. The sooth, a magic user who can predict the future, instructs her to find a convict with a rod who will help her in her task. Thus begins Hesina's journey of lies and crimes in order to unveil the truth, but the further she digs, the more she discovers the horrors of her kingdom and everything her father left to her. From family squabbles to threats of war, to sooths being hunted in the streets, to games of power with political officials, this book does a great job in lulling you into a sense of calm. You think yo...

  #notsponsored. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See the link at the bottom of this post. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks was published by Penguin Books in 2008. Brooks is a New York Times Bestseller and a Pulitzer Prize winner of March . This book is a historical fiction shifting between 1996 and the past, spanning from WWII and various religious inquisitions and crusades.  Trigger warnings! There are scenes of torture, murder, rape, manipulative and dysfunctional families. There is also some race and religion discrimination set within historical context. People of the Book follows Hanna Heath, a rare book conservationist, who is asked to analyze and conserve the Sarajevo Haggadah, one of the earliest Jewish texts ever illuminated. As she works, she finds evidence of the book's past, she begins to unlock the stories behind the book's creation and survival through centuries of conflict. This book is based on a true story and does an amazi...

  #notsponsored.  I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See link below. The Color of Heaven was written by Kim Dong Hwa and published by First Second in 2009. It was previously published in 2003. This is the beautiful conclusion to his coming-of-age manhwa trilogy, The Color of Earth. Note there is some sexual content in this volume. Compared to the first two volumes, Color of Heaven is a bit slower in story. Duksam leaves the village after burning his master's fields in revenge of the old man trying to buy Ehwa's marriage when he knew Duksam wanted to marry her. Afterwards, both Ehwa and her mother spend most of the book waiting for their men to return. There is a lot of talk about waiting and longing, and a woman's curse is "planting love in our hearts." We also see pieces of other people's relationships. Ehwa's friend, Bongsoon, is having sexual relations with one of the village boys, Dongchul, complete with euphemisms. We also see...

  #notsponsored. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. If you're interested in reading the works of emerging writers, please see the link at the end of this post. Blissful Land volume one is written by Ichimon Izumi and published by Kodansha Comics (2018). From what I can find, Izumi is a new manga artist and author with only two title (Blissful Land volumes one and two) credits. Little is known about the author.  I was given the opportunity to read a digital copy of Blissful Land volume one (thank you Kodansha Comics! Thank you NetGalley!). The opinions below are my own. Blissful Land takes place in 18 th century Tibet when Khang Zhipa, a thirteen-year-old doctor in training, arrives home to discover the bride his parents have arranged for him to marry. While the wedding is still a few months away, his bride—Moshi Rati—begins living with him and his family. She is not from their village and has learned their language but is still learning their local...