Welcome to Issue #20!
The trees are whispering…
Friends, welcome to the last issue of The Pond Book News for 2019! Every Sunday, The Quiet Pond brings you a fresh issue of book news to catch you up on the week’s lineup of diverse book releases, cover reveals, book news, and sometimes more! We also feature three incredible people in the book community every week, to highlight the important work that readers do in celebrating the books they love.
Thank you for all of your support for The Pond Book News! We will return with even more book news in 2020.
Book Releases This Month [December 1st to December 31st]
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they
could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari’s right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy’s wrath.
With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.
The long-awaited sequel to Children of Blood and Bone is almost here! I’m still so in love with how beautiful and striking the book cover for Children of Virtue and Vengeance is, and I can’t wait to dive back into this story’s African-inspired and fantastical world. December is going to be a great month with this read just around the corner!
Releases on December 3rd. Add this book on Goodreads.
Reverie by Ryan La Sala
Ryan La Sala’s debut fantasy is an #OwnVoices story following Kane Montgomery, a gay teenager piecing his life back together after an attack robs him of his memories. As Kane searches for who he was, he uncovers a war for the creative rights to reality itself, each battle played out in an imagined world turned real: a reverie.
Reveries are worlds born from a person’s private fantasies, and once they manifest they can only be unraveled by bringing their conflicts to resolution. Reveries have rules and plots, magic and monsters, and one wrong step could twist the entire thing into a lethal, labyrinthine nightmare. Unraveling them is dangerous work, but it’s what Kane and The Others do.
Or did, until one of The Others purged Kane of his memories. But now Kane is back, and solving the mystery of his betrayal is the only way to unite his team and defeat reality’s latest threat: Poesy, a sorceress bent on harvesting the reveries for their pure, imaginative power.
But what use might a drag queen sorceress have with a menagerie of stolen reveries? And should Kane, a boy with no love for a team that betrayed him, fight to stop her, or defect to aid her?
I’ve been waiting for this book for months and it’s almost finally here! Reverie is the queer fantasy that we have all been asking for – and isn’t the book cover so gorgeous and compelling? – and with the added emphasis on dreams, fantasies, and memories, Reverie sounds like an incredible, enchanting, and magical story.
Releases on December 3rd. Add this book on Goodreads.
Book News
Title Reveal: The sequel to Wicked Fox has a title!
The title for the sequel of Kat Cho’s debut Korean-fantasy has finally been announced! I love the sound of this title, especially with how Wicked Fox ended, I’m intrigued to see where Kat will take Jihoon and Miyoung’s story. The title seems to hint at something sinister approaching or a significant challenge for our protagonist – which makes me even more curious to read this book!
Alternate Cover Reveal: Ghost Squad by Claribel Orega
As well as the spooky illustrated cover, Claribel Ortega’s debut, Ghost Squad, got an alternate book cover – featuring Chunk, the story’s infamous and glorious fat cat. True to what the story (about Latinx kids accidentally awakening spirits and fighting them back), this cover is extra spooky — and if the cover has a cat? We love it even more.
Cover Reveal: Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann
The cover for Manjeet Mann’s book, Run, Rebel is stunning! This novel in verse will tell the story of Amber, a teen who escapes her life through running. It sounds like this story will explore arranged marriages, bullying, parental abuse, and how a teen will revolutionise her life. Despite the tough subject matter, I’m curious to see what this book will be like. This book releases in March 2020!
Book Announcement: A middle-grade novel about friends fighting to save the manatees by Sylvia Liu
Doesn’t this sound so delightful and empowering?! I love middle grade stories that are about friends who band together to fight for something that is important to them – and I love that Manatee’s Best Friend will be all about finding your voice andfighting to save manatees! Spring 2021 cannot come soon enough.
Book Announcement: A m/m romance about self-acceptance and body image, featuring a fat and gay protagonist by Vitor Martins
Exploring intersecting identities is so important, which is why I’m happy that Here The Whole Time exists! This book will centre on a fat and gay protagonist and is a love story that is also about body image, self-acceptance, and bullying. How exciting does this book sound? (Very exciting!)
Book Community Spotlight
Book blogger: E from Local Bee Hunter’s Little Nook
If you love sapphic reads and love bloggers that recommend sapphic books, then you absolutely have to follow E! Not only is E’s book blog theme wonderful – bees! 💛 – E utilises her BA in English and produces such stunning and detailed content. I mean, if you’ve ever wanted some book recommendations for queer paranormal romances, then you absolutely have to check out E’s blog post where she recommends some fantastic books.
Find E on her book blog, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram!
Bookstagrammer: Tiana at TianaReadsLGBT
If you love floral themes and queer books, then you’ll absolutely adore Tiana’s gorgeous bookstagram feed! Tiana mostly features LGBTQIA+ books, and writes such thoughtful and astute captions about her current reads. I adore Tiana’s bookstagram, and if you aren’t following her, I strongly suggest rectifying that immediately!
Find Tiana on Instagram, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Booktuber: Myonna at Little Wolf Reads
The Quiet Pond 
Thank you so much for featuring me, Skye!! ❤ I'm so excited!! And, wow, the cover for Run, Rebel is so pretty!! My eyes!
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