Hello, everyone! Hope everything is going well with you. March has been really, really busy. Work takes up most of my day so when I’m relaxing, I tend to pick up my TBR than actually sitting down to blog. Although I’m worried about my blogging motivation, it’s not a burnout yet. I love what I’m putting out every time I post so all is well!
Anyway, back to the actual reason for this blog post. The first three months of the year has passed and we’re on to the fourth. Most of the books in this list are by Asian authors. With the only exception that is Portrait of a Thief, a debut novel by Grace D. Li, I’m familiar with all the authors.
I’ll probably pick up The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System Volume 2 by Moxiang Tongxiu the moment my preorder lands on my hand. I’ve been waiting in agony after finishing book one. Out of the three Moxiang Tongxiu series, this is the one that I’m least familiar with. Trust me when I say I’m beyond intrigued with what will happen between Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu.
Roshani Chokshi is finally publishing the conclusion of the Pandava series in April 2022. On top of that, she’s releasing the graphic novel for the same series?! I’m truly blessed.
I’ll be picking up my ARCs for An Arrow to the Moon and The Genesis Wars soon. Most likely, by the time that this post goes up, I’ve already read them both. Been waiting for Emily X.R. Pan to announce a new release ever since I finished The Astonishing Color of After. And I’m already looking forward to the continuation of the AI-controlled afterlife.
April is going to be an epic month. I strive to finish all the books in this list within the month itself. I can be pretty ambitious at times but how do I resist the allure of all these books?
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sense & second-degree murder
– tirzah price
trilogy: jane austen murder mystery #2
April 5th 2022 by HarperCollins
age range: young adult
genre: mystery, historical fiction, retelling
When eighteen-year-old aspiring scientist Elinor Dashwood discovers her beloved father slumped over the desk of his office study, she knows his death means dire straits for the Dashwood women. To make matters worse, an outdated will entails his estate—including Norland & Company, the private investigation firm where her younger sister Marianne worked as her father’s partner and protégé—to their half-brother and his haughty wife, who waste no time in forcing the Dashwoods out of their home and into a cramped apartment on London’s Barton Street.
But before they go, the Dashwood sisters make a startling discovery that points to foul play, and the killer might be family.
Obviously, the girls must investigate. It could be dangerous; it could ruin their reputations; and most importantly, it won’t bring back their father. But if the Dashwood sisters can combine their talents and bring their father’s murderer to justice, it may bring them all some comfort—and it might even lead to love.
🌸 The first book, Pride and Premeditation, is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Second-Degree Murder is, you guessed it, based on Sense and Sensibility. I’m sure this reimagination will be filled with mystery and romance. While I’m not super familiar with the original work, I’ve read multiple retellings before. Excited to see how this will pan out.
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portrait of a thief
– grace d. li
standalone
April 5th 2022 by Tiny Reparations Books
age range: adult
genre: mystery, contemporary
rep: LGBT, Chinese-American
History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now.
Will Chen plans to steal them back.
A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son that has always been his parents’ American Dream. But when a shadowy Chinese corporation reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago.
His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A conman: Irene Chen, Will’s sister and a public policy major at Duke, who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering student who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they’ve cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down.
Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars—and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they’ve dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.
🌸 Everyone’s talking about this. Which means I need this. Pretty desperately. Some key words: Heist, Chinese-American cast, museums, art.
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aru shah and the end of time
– roshani chokshi
standalone
April 5th 2022 by Rick Riordan Presents
age range: middle grade
genre: fantasy, graphic novel
rep: Indian-American MC
Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she’ll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?
One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru’s doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don’t believe her claim that the museum’s Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.
But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it’s up to Aru to save them.
The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?
🌸 Graphic novel version of Aru Shah? Yes please.
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aru shah and the nectar of immortality
– roshani chokshi
series: pandava #5
April 5th 2022 by Rick Riordan Presents
age range: middle grade
genre: fantasy
rep: Indian-American MC
The Pandavas only have until the next full moon to stop the Sleeper from gaining access to the nectar of immortality, which will grant him infinite power. But how can Aru, Mini, and Brynne hope to defeat him without their celestial weapons? The Sleeper and his army are already plundering the labyrinth, and the sisters can’t even enter. Their quest to get in will have them calling on old friends, meeting new allies, and facing fearsome trials, like…performing in a rock concert? When the moment of confrontation finally arrives, it’s up to Aru to decide who deserves immortality, the devas or the asuras. The most unexpected answer will come from a most unexpected place.
🌸 Finally. Finally I will have the last book of the Pandava series in my hands by April. I’ve been waiting for the conclusion to Aru Shah’s fight against the Sleeper.
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shinji takahashi and the mark of the coatl
– julie kagawa
series: society of explorers and adventurers #1
April 5th 2022 by Disney-Hyperion
age range: middle grade
genre: fantasy
Shinji Takahashi is just an ordinary kid. An ordinary homeschooled smart-alecky orphan kid being raised by his aunt Yui. But when a magical guardian decides to use him as a conduit to awaken its power, Shinji’s life takes a turn for the extraordinary. Captured by the menacing Hightower Corporation, which is bent on using the guardian’s magic for its own nefarious purposes, Shinji must team up with a brilliant young tech whiz named Lucy and her robot mouse, Tinker, to escape the Corporation’s evil clutches.
Together Shinji and Lucy turn to the venerable Society of Explorers and Adventurers and its ragtag cast of spelunkers, hackers, mapmakers, pilots, and mythology experts (among other things) to return the guardian to its rightful home and release Shinji from its magic—which seems to be draining his life force. Time is ticking, the Hightower Corporation is hot on their tail, and success or failure might depend on one small thing—Shinji finally coming around to the belief that he is anything but ordinary.
🌸 I’ve only recently started on Julie Kagawa’s books but I already loved her writing and the worlds she create. I just can’t wait for Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl.
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an arrow to the moon
– emily x.r. pan
standalone
April 12th 2022 by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, retelling, romance
rep: Chinese
Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but all else in his life veers wrong. He’s sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new high school.
Luna Chang dreads the future. Graduation looms ahead, and her parents’ expectations are stifling. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the strange new boy in her class, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across the town of Fairbridge.
As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ enmity and secrets, everything around them begins to fall apart. All they can depend on is their love…but time is running out, and fate will have its way.
🌸 Emily X.R. Pan’s The Astonishing Color of After stole my heart so I’ve been pining for another release by the author. An Arrow to the Moon is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet with a Chinese mythology twist. Basically, it’s Emily X.R. Pan’s version of the love story between Chang’e and Houyi, the Moon Goddess and the Lord Archer. Can’t believe I’m getting another story of Chang’e in one year!
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queen of the tiles
– hanna alkaf
standalone
April 19th 2022 by Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
age range: young adult
genre: contemporary, mystery/thriller
rep: Malaysian, Muslim
CATALYST
13 points
noun: a person or thing that precipitates an event or change
When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend’s death, it’s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It might be even though Najwa’s trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet.
But the same can’t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All’s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina’s death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it.
As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself.
🌸 Hanna Alkaf books are amazing. The Weight of Our Sky and The Girl and the Ghost have a special place in my heart. Definitely an immediate pick up for me.
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the genesis wars
– akemi dawn bowman
trilogy: the infinity courts #2
April 19th 2022 by Simon Pulse
age range: young adult
genre: science fiction, romance
It’s been ten months since Nami narrowly escaped the Four Courts and Ophelia’s wrath. Ten months since she was betrayed by someone she once considered a friend. Someone she poured her heart out to. And now her family here in the afterlife are gone, captured, and Nami is utterly alone.
On the run, only steps ahead of the AI forces pursuing her, and desperate to free her friends, Nami must take the allies she can find, even if she doesn’t fully trust them. And as she tests the limits of her own power, she must also reckon with the responsibility that entails.
Stakes are high as Nami navigates old enemies, unexpected allies, and an ever-changing landscape filled with dangers and twists at every turn. Along the way, she’ll learn powerful truths about who she can trust and the sacrifices that must be made in order to fight for a better, freer world for all.
🌸 The ARC gods blessed me and I’m already on the verge on picking this up. The Infinity Courts was pretty cool considering that an AI is taking over human kind’s afterlife. Thank you to Akemi Dawn Bowman and the publisher for providing me with an ARC!
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the drowning summer
– christine lynn herman
standalone
April 19th 2022 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
age range: young adult
genre: mystery, retelling, paranormal
rep: LGBT
Six years ago, three Long Island teenagers were murdered—their drowned bodies discovered with sand dollars placed over their eyes. The mystery of the drowning summer was never solved, but as far as the town’s concerned, Evelyn Mackenzie’s father did it. His charges were dropped only because Evelyn summoned a ghost to clear his name. She swore never to call a spirit again. She lied.
For generations, the family of Mina Zanetti, a former friend of Evelyn, has worked as mediums, using the ocean’s power to guide the dead to their final resting place. But as sea levels rise, the ghosts grow more dangerous and Mina has been shut out of the family business. When Evelyn performs another summoning that goes horribly wrong, the two girls must navigate their growing attraction to each other while solving the mystery of who was really behind the drowning summer…before the line between life and death dissolves for good.
🌸 I’ve read The Devouring Gray duology by Christine Lynn Herman so The Drowning Summer was immediately added to my TBR. Not too sure what this standalone is about but I’m already excited.
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the scum villain’s self-saving system volume 2 – moxiang tongxiu
series: the scum villain’s self-saving system #2
April 19th 2022 by Seven Seas Entertainment
age range: adult
genre: romance, fantasy
rep: Asian, LGBT
Half-demon Luo Binghe rose from humble beginnings and a tortured past to become unrivaled in strength and beauty. With his harem of over three hundred wives, and dominion over both the human and demonic realms, he is truly the most powerful protagonist—in a trashy web novel series!
At least, that’s what Shen Yuan, online alias “Peerless Cucumber,” believes as he finishes reading the final chapter in Proud Immortal Demon Way. But when a combination of rage and a poor meal choice leads to his death, Shen Yuan finds himself reborn into the world of the web novel, in the body of Shen Qingqiu—the beautiful but cruel teacher to a young Luo Binghe. Although as Shen Qingqiu, he now has incredible power and abilities as a cultivator, he’s destined to be horrifically punished for crimes against the protagonist, so this new Shen Qingqiu has only one course of action: get into Luo Binghe’s good graces before the young man’s rise to power. That’s the only way he’ll escape the awful fate of a true scum villain!
🌸 Let’s just say, I need to know what will happen between Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe after the latter ended up in the Endless Abyss. How will the original story change? SQQ and LBH’s feelings are pretty open to the readers which is vastly unlike from Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.
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shuri and t’challa: into the heartlands
– roseanne a. brown
standalone
April 19th 2022 by Graphix
age range: middle grade
genre: fantasy
rep: Black
Twelve-year-old Shuri is a lot of things. Scientist. Princess. All around cooler person than her pain-in-the-butt big brother T’Challa. Shuri knows she could do so much more to help Wakanda, but everyone is obsessed with the prince because he’s the next Black Panther. That is, until Soul Washing Day, one of the most important rituals of Wakandan society.
When an argument between T’Challa and Shuri leads to one of Shuri’s inventions accidentally destroying the sacred ceremony site, chaos reigns instead of prosperity. Suddenly the people of Wakanda, including her mother the queen, are becoming sick! Could this be a curse from the ancestors? Desperate to save her mother, Shuri dives into research and finds an answer hidden deep in an ancient children’s myth. It may be nothing more than a fantasy, but with the sickness spreading each day, the young princess must trust her instincts and travel deep into the mysterious Heartlands to save her family and her kingdom.
Joining Shuri on her journey is none other than a meddling T’Challa. If Shuri and T’Challa can set aside their jealousy and resentment of each other long enough to survive this journey, they might just discover that they are far more powerful together than they could ever be apart. But if they can’t face their fears in the Heartlands and lift the so-called curse, it may not be just the end for their family, but the end of Wakanda as they know it. No pressure, right?
🌸 I see Roseanne A. Brown, I click “Add to TBR”.
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winnie zeng unleashes a legend
– katie zhao
standalone
April 26th 2022 by Random House Books for Young Readers
age range: middle grade
genre: fantasy
rep: Chinese
Winnie Zeng has two goals: survive her first year of middle school and outdo her stuck-up archnemesis, David Zuo. It won’t be easy, since, according to her older sister, middle school is the pits. Luckily, Winnie studied middle school survival tactics in comic books and anime, and nothing will stop her from being the very best student.
But none of Winnie’s research has prepared her to face the mother of all hurdles: evil spirits. When she makes mooncakes for a class bake sale, she awakens the stuff of legends from her grandmother’s old cookbook, spilling otherworldly chaos into her sleepy town.
Suddenly Winnie finds herself in a race against time, vanquishing demons instead of group projects. Armed with a magic cookbook and a talking white rabbit, she must embrace her new powers and legacy of her ancestors. Because if she doesn’t, her town–and rest of the world–may fall to chaos forever.
🌸 Said it before and will say it again, I’ll always reach for Katie Zhao’s books ever since her debut, The Dragon Warrior. Winnie Zeng is going to be awesome and I know it.
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the jade setter of janloon
– fonda lee
series: the green bone saga #0.5
April 30th 2022 by Subterranean Press
age range: adult
genre: urban fantasy
rep: Asian
The rapidly changing city of Janloon is ruled by jade, the rare and ancient substance that enhances the abilities and status of the trained Green Bone warriors who run the island’s powerful clans.
Pulo Oritono is not one of those warriors. He’s simply an apprentice jade setter with dreams of securing clan patronage and establishing a successful business. His hopes are dashed, however, when a priceless jade weapon is stolen from the shop where he works.
Now, Pulo has three days to hunt down the thief, find the jade, and return it to its rightful owner if he wants to save his future prospects, the people he cares about, and his very life. The desperate mission will lead Pulo to old vendettas, vast corruption, and questions about everything and everyone he thought he knew.
🌸 Already read this and loved it. I have no complains when it comes to The Green Bone Saga and Fonda Lee’s writing. Pulo’s a jade setter apprentice in a neutral territory. Things was supposed to be quiet but when a priceless weapon gets stolen, his life was turned upside down. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC!
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what book are you looking forward to the most in april? i’m really excited for SVSS volume 2 (no surprise there), an arrow to the moon, and winnie zeng unleashes a legend.
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