To Be Read: ARCs For 2022

Even though in my 2022 reading goals I have said I’m going to lessen the number of ARCs I review, I have already started planning some for 2022.

Although it shows these books to be available to me through Netgalley, three of them were actually personally sent to me by Sabrina at HarperCollins. Thank you for access to Squire, Extasia and The Book of Living Secrets.

Squire by Sara Alfageeh & Nadia Shammas

I am super excited to start Squire. I have only ever reviewed one other graphic novel on Young Creative Press, but I want to start doing more.

The excitement was real when I received this in my inbox. Instantly the cover caught my eye and I knew straight away that I needed to read it.

Goodreads synopsis: Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program.

It’s not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” that Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

In this breathtaking and timely story, Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

Extasia by Claire Legrand

I have had one of Claire’s books sitting on my shelves for so long but for some reason I just haven’t picked it up. Well, now I have no excuse not to read one of her books. I think I’ll make this my first read of 2022 maybe.

Goodreads synopsis: Her name is unimportant.

All you must know is that today she will become one of the four saints of Haven. The elders will mark her and place the red hood on her head. With her sisters, she will stand against the evil power that lives beneath the black mountain–an evil which has already killed nine of her village’s men.

She will tell no one of the white-eyed beasts that follow her. Or the faceless gray women tall as houses. Or the girls she saw kissing in the elm grove.

Today she will be a saint of Haven. She will rid her family of her mother’s shame at last and save her people from destruction. She is not afraid. Are you?

The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux

Now I would be lying if I didn’t admit that the cover is what made me want to read this. I mean just look at it. There is a 100% chance that this will make it onto of my best covers posts. Hopefully, it will also make it onto a best standalone post too.

Goodreads synopsis: No matter how different best friends Adelle and Connie are, one thing they’ve always had in common is their love of a little-known gothic romance novel called Moira. So when the girls are tempted by a mysterious stranger to enter the world of the book, they hardly suspect it will work. But suddenly they are in the world of Moira, living among characters they’ve obsessed about for years.

Except…all is not how they remembered it. The world has been turned upside down: The lavish balls and star-crossed love affairs are now interlaced with unspeakable horrors. The girls realize that something dark is lurking behind their foray into fiction—and they will have to rewrite their own arcs if they hope to escape this nightmare with their lives.