Anticipated Reads
By Anna Heywood, Alfie Kimmins, Sarah Ernestine, Georgia Wells and Meg Jones
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
5 April, Flatiron Books
In her debut novel, Four Treasures of the Sky, Jenny Tinghui Zhang offers a spellbinding yet harrowing story rich in both historical fiction and Chinese folklore. Set in the American West in the 1880s, the novel follows the story of a young Chinese girl as she fights to establish her place and identity in face of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Blessed by beauty, yet cursed with heartbreak, we meet Daiyu, whose story mimics the tragic heroine to whom she is named after. After she is kidnapped and smuggled from her home in China across the ocean to America, Daiyu is forced to let go of the life she once dreamed for herself and reinvent her identity to outrun the tragic fate which seems to follow her. However, as anti-Chinese attitudes engulf the country, resulting in unfathomable violence, Daiyu must reflect on all the identities she has taken throughout the years in order to reclaim her true self and tell her story.
None of This is Serious by Catherine Prasifka
7 April, Canongate Books
With stunning artwork by Gill Heeley, and equally stunning words by Catherine Prasifka, None of This is Serious will undoubtedly be the newest BookTok sensation when it hits shelves on 7 April. Blending contemporary fiction with just a hint of fantasy, the story follows Sophie, fresh out of university, living in Dublin and generally having no idea what to do with her life. Sophie is fighting her own personal struggles, like feeling out of place with her friends, having an overbearing twin sister and a tragic love life. She’s also tackling societal challenges that all twenty-somethings grapple with, such as the realities of the rental crisis and the effects of being chronically online. While Sophie is struggling with her personal turmoil, the world is dealing with a purple crack which has appeared in the sky. Some are blaming climate change, and others are coming up with conspiracy theories. One thing is painfully realistic – when a global crisis starts, so do the memes on Twitter.
An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X. R. Pan
12 April, Orion Children's Books
The beautiful cover of An Arrow to the Moon, the newest novel from New York Times bestselling author Emily X.R. Pan, led to the story shooting to the top of our anticipated reads list. When everything in Hunter Yee’s life starts to go wrong, he focuses on his younger brother and meeting a captivating girl at a new school. With graduation looming, Luna Chang begins to worry about her future. When a large crack splits the sky above Fairbridge, Hunter and Luna begin to discover secrets about the rivalry between their families and the love growing between them. An Arrow to the Moon rises up as the next YA read for fans of Romeo and Juliet and the enemies-to-lovers trope.
People Person by Candice Carty-Williams
28 April, Orion Publishing
With only a vague memory of the four people she can call her half-siblings, Dimple Pennington has bigger things to worry about. Wanting to keep her distance from her complex abandonment issues, she wants nothing to remind her of her past. Dimple is thirty, stuck in a dead-end relationship with aspirations of becoming a lifestyle influencer. Despite her small but loyal following, she feels trapped in a life going nowhere. But, when unexpected events result in her reconnecting with her half-siblings Nikisha, Danny, Lizzie and Prynce, Dimple feels confused. Things get only more confusing when the five siblings are forced to get in contact with Cyril Pennington, their absent father none of them ever really knew.
From the bestselling author of Queenie, Candice returns with her second novel exploring the complex themes of estranged family in both a poignant and hilarious way.
After Lambana: A Graphic Novel: Myth and Magic in Manila by Eliza Victoria and Mervin Malonzo
10 May, Tuttle Publishing
Lambana is a magical realm home to the Diwata, supernatural fairies whose magic is the only cure for Conrad’s heart problem. But, Lambana has fallen, and the Magic Prohibition Act makes seeking the Diwata, and prolonging his life with magic, illegal. With the help of Ignacio, Conrad is prepared to risk it all. Together, they travel through Manila, where multiple realities co-exist and the supernatural are abundant. Making their way through a corrupt world teeming with sirens and wraiths, Conrad’s heart isn’t the only thing that could kill him - and, even if he makes it to the Diwata, will they be willing to give up the secrets of a cure? In a magical fantasy bursting with Filipino mythology, the supernatural and beautiful artwork, After Lambana is a stunning read.