Hi, it's Olivia, and I was definitely struggling to balance the books there.
But, anyway, today I'm here again, for the Epic Reads February Book Haul.
We're just gonna get right into it like usual,
because this first book, this first book.
We have This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi.
Who I'm sure, as you know, is the New York Times bestselling author of the Shatter Me
series, and she is back with this beautiful book.
I mean, hold on, we need to take a moment to admire its beauty real quick because
it's like, I wish you could see it in person, it's liquid gold.
That's kinda what it feels like to me.
But also, if you get your hands on it, make sure you look at the naked cover,
because, look at its spine, so pretty, I love the details so much.
And the story seems like it's gonna prove to be as pretty and lush as its cover.
Because it is the first in a new installment in this epic
fantasy romance trilogy that is based in Persian folklore.
And so, it's gonna have this very vivid world building and imagery,
it's based in real mythology, and we've got a forbidden romance to top it off.
We love a forbidden romance.
Our main character is the servant who you wouldn't give a second glance.
She's purposely trying to keep under the radar, so
no one knows that she's this long lost heir to an entire kingdom.
There are those out there who would hunt for her, and put her in some real danger,
like the crown prince who is aware.
He's starting to listen to the prophecies, and
is hearing that this fearsome monster's supposed to be returning.
And that is kind of how their worlds collide,
and this romance begins to form, it just sounds like a great time.
Next up, we have Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez.
And first off, these colors just scream to me spring and fun,
which is exactly what this book is supposed to be.
It's supposed to be a fun and a heartfelt story with these two sisters who
are on a road trip, a college road trip.
And I am overdue, one, for reading a book with a road trip, and
also for taking a road trip.
[LAUGH] So, it seems like an even better time to be picking up a book like this,
if you're in the same boat as me.
So, these two sisters couldn't be more different from one another, and they're
forced together to go on this college tour road trip from Baltimore to San Francisco.
And along the way, kinda they learn more of the meaning of their sisterhood and
family.
And we love a good story about sisterhood.
I speak also as the middle child of an older sister and a younger sister.
And so I love that we'll have a good story, a heartfelt story about sisterhood,
but also all the antics that come with sisters.
[LAUGH] And it's also in both of their perspectives, which I always appreciate.
I like multiple POVs.
So, next up, we have The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian,
who is also the Stonewall Honor-winning author of Like a Love Story.
And here, you can see from the cover, hopefully,
you can see we've got a boarding school setting.
We have a main cast of five characters, who are in this coveted writing group.
Within this writing group, with all these characters at this boarding school,
their professor assigns them to tell their truths.
And you've got a group of writers, so we've got some heavy topics and
things like secrets and abuse that are gonna come out.
And there's lies and tension kind of boiling under the surface.
It just seems like that would be the prime time to just write out everything,
you know what I mean?
A writing group seems like when all of these kinds of things would start to come
to light, in a very dramatic and kind of intense way.
So, if you're into that, definitely look into this book.
And next up, we have the fantasy book, Only a Monster by Vanessa Len.
And this is set in London and follows our main character who,
this blurb on the front is good.
It says, in every story there's a hero and a monster.
She is not the hero.
Because, in this book, monsters like her are able to take the form and
look just like humans.
And they have the power to steal time from humans, and
they then use it to travel back and forth through time.
Isn't that such a cool concept?
I love the concept of this.
And there's 12 ancient monster families that each have their own special
abilities, in addition to that time stealing power.
And, of course, we've got a romance to get excited about.
Because not only is there a romantic interest, but he is a monster hunter.
It says it perfectly right here,
her family isn't just eccentric, they're monsters with terrifying hidden powers.
And Nick isn't just a cute boy,
he's a legendary monster slayer who would do anything to bring them down.
That makes going on a date a little awkward.
Anyway, this is an action-packed time travel fantasy, where we kind of blur
the lines between good and evil, and it just sounds like a great time.
And last, but certainly not least, we have Extasia by Claire Legrand.
She is also the author of Furyborn and Sawkill Girls.
And this is a kind of genre bending fantasy horror mix, which,
I love a good genre bender.
And I also love horror elements, and this cover is very spooky and eerie-looking.
And I don't know if you can read the top, it says, girl crossed out,
saint crossed out, witch.
This story also features a queer romance between the two saints of Haven.
And our main character whose name I can't tell you,
because she says first thing, my name is unimportant.
She's been seeing things.
She says, I will tell no one of the white-eyed beasts that follow me, or
the faceless gray woman, tall as houses,
or the girls I saw kissing in the elm grove.
Yeah, I'd be a little concerned if I were seeing white-eyed beasts and
a woman as tall as houses, that's creepy.
[LAUGH] Our main characters are worried about this vicious evil that is wrecking
havoc and stalking their village.
And they come to see that maybe it's their own village leaders that may be
the villains here.
So, we got spookiness, we got mystery,
we've got this genre-bending with the fantasy and the horror.
So, we also have what sounds like a great time.
So, that is all the books that I have for you today.
Of course, let me hold them up for you one last time.
Please do let me know which ones caught your eye, which ones you're really looking
forward to, or just let me know what you're reading down in the comments.
If you're interested in any of these books,
there should be links in the description.
This one is so slippery, I mean, it's beautiful, and
it's also just one of those that's really slippery, so, it keeps sliding down.
But, anyway, yeah, you could check out the description for
the links to any of these, or feel free to check out your local library.
And I will see you in another video, bye.