Ferocious Women vs. Family, Society, and Alien Worlds
Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and here we are for round two of new releases this week. Quite unintentionally, we’ve got a real theme going today of female protagonists fighting for freedom and survival against their circumstances, whether that’s an eerie house, an alien planet, or Dracula himself. It’s something that sure resonates with me with the current state of America.
Bookish Goods
3D-Printed Phoenix Bookend by ZoroSeerus
I am constantly wowed by what 3D printers can do now, between Hero Forge and things like this gorgeous, vibrant bookend of a phoenix. Perfect for a shelf full of fantasy books! $25
New Releases
The World Is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa
Amara has just escaped her controlling and downright murderous family with her fiance Vinh. In need of a destination, they join a new colony called New Belaforme and bring Amara’s childhood friend Jesse alone for the ride. But New Belaforme isn’t just a place that can become home with hard work. It’s a planet that actively resists invasive organisms with a mechanism called the Gray. When a rival colony brings the existence of humans to the attention of the Gray, the Amara, Vinh, and Jesse must find a way to survive while also being haunted by memories of their many past betrayals.
The Inhabitants by Beth Castrodale
Nilda Ricci is a down-on-her-luck portrait artist. Things seem to be turning around for her when she inherits a Victorian house designed by an architect that supposedly created buildings that could influence the inhabitant’s mind. At first things seem to be going great. There’s a handsome neighbor who seems tailor made for Nilda’s interests. But eventually, she begins to have increasingly odd experiences in her home, and she’s forced to wonder if the architect had dark intentions for residents like her.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
These two books below double-down on ferocious women. They feature morally grey heroines who will protect their power and who aren’t afraid to spill more than a little blood to do it.
The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow
Binsa was chosen by the gods to sit on the Scarlet Throne and dispense justice and mercy as a living goddess. But within her resides not a god, but a demon. When it is time for her reign as living goddess to end, Binsa refuses to go quietly into the life of an ordinary young woman. She instead makes a deal with her demon. Binsa will sacrifice her people to him, and he will help her take control of the Scarlet Throne once and for all.
Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel by Kiersten White
Lucy Westenra was one of Dracula’s first victims. She rose from the grave as a vampire under his thrall and wanted nothing more than her freedom. In the 21st century, she might have the freedom to find out who she is and what she truly wants in her immortal life. Then she meets Iris. Iris is a woman who has a past she wishes to break free from, including a wealthy family with a sinister secret that doesn’t want to let her go. As Iris and Lucy fall in love, they must escape both Iris’s controlling mother and Lucy’s feared creator.
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.
If an SFF fan forwarded this newsletter to you or you read it on bookriot.com and you’d like to get it right in your inbox, you can sign up here.
