Hi, Mary Robinette! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m the author of The Calculating Stars. When it came out it won the Hugo, the Locus, and the Nebula award. Next week, book 4 in the Lady Astronaut Universe comes out, The Martian Contingency. In addition to being a science-fiction and fantasy writer, I’m also an audiobook narrator, puppeteer, and the former president of Science Fiction and Fantasy writers of America. I also taught my cat Elsie to “talk” using buttons.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

The first story that I can remember writing was in kindergarten. I wrote and illustrated a story for my mom for Mother’s Day. The only thing that I can really remember about it is that there was a spaceship that was shaped like an iris.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
• The one that made you want to become an author: All of them?
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Your latest novel, The Martian Contingency, is out March 18^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Mars, meteor, marriage, mystery, multicultural

What can readers expect?

You can expect people trying to do their best with the tools they have. Something happened on the First Mars Expedition and the silence might kill everyone. Despite that, these are people who love and value each other.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

It felt good to come back to Elma’s point of view after spending time with Nicole in The Relentless Moon. This is set 17 years after the first novel in the series and I love exploring the way Elma has grown.

Can you tell us about some of the research that went into The Martin Contingency?

I got to talk to a lot of astronauts but, since this is on Mars, some of the most fun conversations were actually with people who are trying to figure out how to build a habitat on the red planet. There are a bunch of different approaches, from inflatable domes, to building into cliff faces. I’ve gotten to look at some wild designs involving 3D printing, but… because this book is set in 1970, I had to figure out how to use what we know now, with the technology available then. It was a lot of fun.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Well… to take this to a darker place, my mom died the week I turned this in. It was during what we’ve come to call the Year of Five Deaths. I had to keep breaking tasks into smaller and smaller pieces in order to keep writing. The main thing I realized was that the tools that work in other parts of my life work for writing, too.

What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned as an author since your debut?

Structure was the hardest thing for me to figure out. I came out of theatre, so I understood audience and character but I was always working with a script that was someone elses’s structure. What I’ve learned since then is that I don’t have to always outline. I had to when I started because it was a new skill. Now, as I start to internalize why structure works, I can be more improvisatory with my writing. So, I guess that lesson is basically, “It’s okay to play.”

What’s next for you?

I’m finishing revisions on a dragon novel right now and we’ll see what happens with that! I wrote it for funsies.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year? I

just grabbed Amal El Mohtar’s new book The River Has Roots and can’t wait to read it.

Will you be picking up The Martian Contingency? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Mary Robinette Kowal, Author of ‘The Martian Contingency’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Science fiction is defined as “fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.” Essentially these portrayals exist in the realm of possibility making it more realistic than fantasy as a genre but straying off the path of contemporary into an imagined world.

Science fiction emerged over two hundred years ago resulting in a diverse range of books, however, the genre we know and love today developed mainly during the 20th century. This boom was largely due to the increase of scientific innovation and the integration of science into everyday life leading to an interest in books exploring the link between technology and society itself.

Delving into sci-fi can sometimes seem a bit intimidating, which may prevent you picking up books like Frankenstein or The War of the Worlds, so with this in mind, we have composed a list of five books you should read if you’re thinking of dipping your toes into the genre. These books are definite page turners so they should put you well on your way to finding a new genre to love!

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Calculating Stars was Kowal’s sci-fi debut and won her the Nebula, Locus and Hugo Awards for Best Novel. It is is fairly realistic in that it draws on events that actually happened, like NASA employing women as calculators, and only features humans, not any other species. This book is part of the Lady Astronaut Series, which currently consists of three books—so if you love this one, there’s two more for you!

The plot follows Elma York, a WWII pilot and mathematician, after a meteorite destroys Washington DC and triggers global warming on an alarming scale. With her husband, Elma figures out that this means the oceans will heat up to such a degree that Earth itself will be inhabitable. The result is the formation of the International Aerospace Coalition (IAC) in order to explore Space and potentially find humanity a new home on the Moon or Mars. The problem is, it’s 1952, and much like in the early days of NASA (or rather the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics as it started out as) women were not employed as astronauts and Elma can only get a position as a calculator. She is brilliant at maths but she wants to explore the stars from a rocket and not from the ground. 

The Calculating Stars explores what it’s like for Elma to fight for herself and other female pilots to have the right to become respected astronauts but it also explores how the system is rigged to discourage Black and POC women from making it too. Elma is a white woman who throughout the book has various realisations and learning experiences with the black community, opening up her eyes to systemic racism. This is definitely not the focus of the book but it is good that it was included. This book also features anxiety rep as Elma has severe anxiety (to the point of vomiting) about speaking in a public space, to the press or on TV. The root cause of this is explained and her anxiety was explored in a way that would have made sense both in the 50’s and as an astronaut in the public eye. The side characters are developed well and the plot moves at a steady pace.

Overall, if you are looking for a strong female main character against a backdrop of the early days of space exploration, this is the one to read.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
This one is an absolute page turner and seriously underrated! It is part of a duology but this first book is the better read.

April May is leaving work in NYC at 3am when she stumbles across what looks at first glance, to be a ten foot tall statue in samurai gear. Instead of walking past it as she, and probably most of the city, would usually do, she stops and calls her best friend Andy. Together, they film a video and post it online. When April wakes up, she finds out that the video they had filmed has gone viral—the statue they called Carl, isn’t the only one.

These ‘Carls’ have appeared overnight all over the world and April and Andy were the first to document it, thus establishing themselves as somewhat unconventional experts. Thrust into the spotlight, April has to deal with the instant pressure that comes with fame whilst trying to find out everything she can on the sudden emergence of the Carls. 

This book is better the less you know. It is a compulsive and hugely relevant novel about the demands of fame and the influence it can have on an individual, about what happens when a group of people learn to work together and about vilification and mob mentality. 

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
This book is easily a popular one and for good reason. If you like your books on the heartwarming side with a big dollop of found family, then add this to your TBR. It was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction 2016 and is part of a series that are set in the same world but can be read as standalone novels.

““Ninety percent of all problems are caused by people being assholes.”
“What causes the other ten percent?” asked Kizzy.
“Natural disasters,” said Nib.”

This book follows the crew of the Wayfarer and their newest recruit, Rosemary Harper as they travel through space punching holes and building tunnels. The Wayfarer crew are a mix of species, each with their own distinct personalities that really shine through. They are given the opportunity of a lifetime—their chance to build a tunnel to a distant planet the galaxy has just formed an alliance with, thus earning them a large payout. But as everyone knows, the jobs that pay the most are never the easy ones.

A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet tackles so many issues that are relevant today including gun control, colonialism, xenophobia, and racism. It serves as a stark reminder that whether we stay on Earth or manage to expand to other planets in the Universe, these things will still be something we need to address, we can’t just leave them behind. The characters don’t conform to the gender binary (one character is Non-Binary and another starts life as female, then changes to male and end their life as Non-Binary) and there is LGBTQ+ rep. Not only that but the characters are loveable and perfectly flawed. This book is a warm comforting hug and the epitome of found family. Perfect for cuddling up to on a rainy day with your favourite hot drink.

The Starlight Watchmaker by Lauren James
This is a novella so it comes in at a little over a hundred pages. It is a YA aimed at struggling or dyslexic readers so the writing is easy to follow and possible to read through in one sitting. This novella is the perfect thing to read if you aren’t sure if you prefer your sci-fi more on the realistic, mostly human side or are happy with the addition of other species.

Hugo is a watchmaker at a prestigious academy. He is one of the lucky ones—many androids like him are jobless and homeless as their owners get newer and better models, abandoning the old ones without a moment’s notice. But when Dorian nearly breaks down Hugo door demanding his time-travel watch be fixed before his exam, Hugo is thrust into an adventure where he and Dorian have to reconcile their differences and get to the bottom of a mysterious scheme within the academy.

Hugo is a loveable character to follow as a narrator. He knows how androids are viewed so he stays tucked away in his attic, fixing watches and convinces himself he prefers to be by himself, that is until Dorian crashes into his life and pulls him out of his attic to help him find the part to fix his watch.

He slowly realises he actually enjoys being around people and making conversation and it turns into one of the best days he has ever had. The mystery running throughout is just enough to grip you too. It is also great to see interaction between an android, a human and well, a planet who is currently a wall. They are all curious about each other but not to the point of rudeness and it is a great lesson on appreciating everyone’s differences. This is another relevant book, specifically whilst we are still living in COVID times. It is a reminder that no matter who you are or how introverted you are, everyone needs that connection with other people to enrich their lives.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

You can’t really have a sci-fi list without adding The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s a pop-culture classic and has been a radio show, TV series, novel, stage play, comic book and a film. 

The original novel came out in 1979 and it’s part of a series so if you love it, there are more books set in this world. It is full of British satire, irony and biting wit so if that’s not your thing, feel free to skip this one.

This book follows Arthur Dent, who after getting his house bulldozed then finds the Earth getting demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. Mere seconds before this obliteration, Arthur is saved and taken off planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. Thus follows one crazy, strange road trip in space.

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Five Books For Readers Who Are New To Sci-Fi appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Need some sci-fi? There’s Vox where women are only allowed 100 words a day, Alan Dean Foster’s Relic follows the last surviving man, and Stars Uncharted follows a ragtag band of explorers are looking to make the biggest score in the galaxy.

If fantasy is more your speed, Annie Sullivan’s debut novel A Touch of Gold focuses on King Midas’ daughter, The Tower of Living and Dying is the sequel to The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark, or Rob J. Hayes City of Kings.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below which ones you are most excited for!

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one. When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil.

Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey
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Seventeen years after falling from a stolen car into a remote northern town, Billie Jean Fontaine is still an outsider. When Billie Jean vanishes one cold October night in her bare feet and track suit with only her truck keys, those closest to her begin a frantic search. Her daughter, Pony, a girl struggling against being a teen in the middle of nowhere; her killer dog to whom she cannot tell a lie; her husband, The Heavy, a man haunted by his past; and the charismatic Supernatural, a teenage boy longing only to be average. Each holding a different piece of the puzzle, they must come together to understand the darkest secrets of their beloved, and lay bare the mysteries of the human heart.

The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams
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Jane Kamali is an agent for the Justified. Her mission: to recruit children with miraculous gifts in the hope that they might prevent the Pulse from once again sending countless worlds back to the dark ages. Hot on her trail is the Pax–a collection of fascist zealots who believe they are the rightful rulers of the galaxy and who remain untouched by the Pulse. Now Jane, a handful of comrades from her past, and a telekinetic girl called Esa must fight their way through a galaxy full of dangerous conflicts, remnants of ancient technology, and other hidden dangers. And that’s just the beginning . . .

Vox by Christina Dalcher
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On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial–this can’t happen here. Not in America. Not to her. Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard. For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.

A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan
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King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched into gold, but after it almost killed his daughter, Midas relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora’s skin shines golden, rumours follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbours secret powers that are getting harder to hide. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realises there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down.

City of Kings by Rob J. Hayes
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War makes monsters and corpses of us all. For generations the blooded have ruled the Wilds, cultivating a lawless frontier and bleeding the good folk dry. The Black Thorn, once the most wanted outlaw the world has ever seen, is set on stopping them, and bringing an end to the great game that oppresses them all. Crucible is the only blooded fortress left, but not for nothing is it called the City of Kings. Its defenses are unbreakable, its walls unassailable, all built so one hundred can hold back a thousand. Worse yet, the Black Thorn is running out of time and there are darker things hiding underground, looking to turn the city into a tomb.

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
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Continuing the grand sweep of alternate history laid out in The Calculating Stars, we head to 1961 where mankind is well-established on the moon and looking forward to its next step: journeying to, and eventually colonising, Mars. Of course the noted Lady Astronaut Elma York would like to go, but could the International Aerospace Coalition ever stand the thought of putting a woman on such a potentially dangerous mission? Could Elma knowingly take the place of other astronauts who have been overlooked because of their race? And could she really leave behind her husband and the chance to start a family?

Relic by Alan Dean Foster
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Once Homo sapiens reigned supreme, spreading from star system to star system in an empire that encountered no alien life and thus knew no enemy . . . save itself. When a genetically engineered smart virus wipes out humanity, the last known survivor is Ruslan. He spends his days as something of a cross between a research subject and a zoo attraction. The Myssari, an intelligent alien race, are determined to resurrect the human race, using Ruslan’s genetic material, all he wants for himself and his species is oblivion. But then the Myssari make Ruslan an extraordinary offer: In exchange for his cooperation, they will do everything in their considerable power to find the lost home world of his species–an all-but-mythical place called Earth–and, perhaps, another living human.

The Tower of Living and Dying by Anna Smith Spark
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In the sequel to The Court of Broken Knives, Marith has been a sellsword, a prince, a murderer, a demon, and dead. But something keeps bringing him back to life, and now there is nothing stopping him from taking back the throne that is rightfully his. Thalia, the former high priestess, remains Marith’s only tenuous grasp to whatever goodness he has left. His left hand and his last source of light, Thalia still believes that the power that lies within him can be used for better ends. But as more forces gather beneath Marith’s banner, she can feel her influence slipping.

Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall
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Three people who are not who they claim to be: Nika Rik Terri, body modder extraordinaire, has devoted her life to redesigning people’s bodies right down to the molecular level. Josune Arriola is crew on the famous explorer ship the Hassim, whose memory banks contain records of unexplored worlds worth a fortune. Hammond Roystan, the captain of the rival explorer ship, The Road, has many secrets. Some believe one of them is the key to finding the lost world. Josune’s captain sends her to infiltrate Roystan’s ship, promising to follow. But when the Hassim exits nullspace close to Roystan’s ship, it’s out of control, the crew are dead, and unknown Company operatives are trying to take over. Narrowly escaping and wounded, Roystan and Josune come to Nika for treatment–and with problems of her own, she flees with them after the next Company attack.

The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien
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In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar: he is called the Lord of Waters, of all seas, lakes, and rivers under the sky. But he works in secret in Middle-earth to support the Noldor, the kindred of the Elves among whom were numbered Húrin and Túrin Turambar. Following his presentation of Beren and Lúthien Christopher Tolkien has used the same ‘history in sequence’ mode in the writing of this edition of The Fall of Gondolin.

These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
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Lu is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work. Devereux is a pirate. After Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, he becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war. Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbours a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.

Check out our other August book picks on our Goodreads list!

Any other releases you’re excited to read this month? Tell us in the comments below!

The post August Book Release: Fantasy + Sci-Fi appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you love sci-fi, Alex Thomson’s Death of A Clone is an Agatha Christie-esque thriller in space, debut author T.J. Berry brings us a misfit crew who will race across the galaxy to prevent the genocide of magical creatures in Space Unicorn Blues, and Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Calculating Stars sees a race to space filled with women that fans of Hidden Figures will love.

Fantasy more your speed? We’ve got you covered! New York Times bestselling authors Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne team up in Kill The Farm Boy, which isn’t your usual Chosen One story. Then there’s Alcy Leyva’s urban fantasy where Amanda accidentally releases the six Shades of Hell and now she must recapture them with the aid of a demon and antisocial seraphim.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be checking any out!

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England. Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did it. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in. The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.

Death Of A Clone by Alex Thomson
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

An Agatha Christie thriller in space! The Overseers may call it Hell, but for Leila and the other clones, the mining base on asteroid Mizushima-00109 is the only home they’ve ever known. But then Leila’s sister Lily is murdered, and the Overseers seem less interested in solving the crime than in making their mining quota and returning to Earth. Leila decides to find the murderer, just like the heroes of her old detective novels would. But Hell is a place of terrible secrets, and a love of cozy mysteries may not be enough to keep Leila from ending up like her sister.

European Travel For The Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss
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In the sequel to the critically acclaimed The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, Mary Jekyll and the rest of the daughters of literature’s mad scientists embark on a madcap adventure across Europe to rescue another monstrous girl and stop the Alchemical Society’s nefarious plans once and for all.

Kill The Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne
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Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born . . . and so begins every fairy tale ever told. This is not that fairy tale. There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened. And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell. There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he’s bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there’s the Dark Lord who wishes for the boy’s untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there’s a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini.

Space Unicorn Blues by T.J. Berry
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Having magical powers makes you less than human, a resource to be exploited. Half-unicorn Gary Cobalt is sick of slavery, captivity, and his horn being ground down to power faster-than-light travel. When he’s finally free, all he wants is to run away in his ancestors’ stone ship. Instead, Captain Jenny Perata steals the ship out from under him, so she can make an urgent delivery. But Jenny held him captive for a decade, and then Gary murdered her best friend… who was also the wife of her co-pilot, Cowboy Jim. What could possibly go right?

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
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Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders… but her father isn’t a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife’s dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers’ pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed–and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold. But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it’s worth–especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.

When Life Gives You Demons by Jennifer Honeybourn
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Sixteen-year-old Shelby Black has spent the past year training to be an exorcist. Her great-uncle Roy—a Catholic priest and Shelby’s guardian—believes she has a gift for expelling demons, and he’s put her through exorcist boot camp hell, but he still doesn’t trust her to do an exorcism on her own. Secrets run in Shelby’s family, though: her mother has been missing ever since an exorcism went horribly wrong, and Uncle Roy is tight-lipped about it. But Shelby’s hell-bent on finding her mom, no matter what—even if what it ends up costing her her soul AND a date with Spencer.

Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When Aisha Un-Haad’s brother contracts a plague, she volunteers to become a Scela, a mechanically enhanced soldier sworn to protect and serve the governing body of the Fleet. If Aisha can survive the harrowing modifications and earn an elite place in the Scela ranks, she may be able to save her brother. Key Tanaka awakens in a Scela body with only hazy memories of her life before. She knows she’s from the privileged end of the Fleet, but she has no recollection of why she chose to give up a life of luxury to become a hulking cyborg soldier. In a unit of new recruits vying for top placement, Aisha’s and Key’s paths collide, and the two must learn to work together–a tall order for girls from opposite ends of the Fleet. But a rebellion is stirring, pitting those who yearn for independence from the Fleet against a government struggling to maintain unity.

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A meteor decimates the U.S. government and paves the way for a climate cataclysm that will eventually render the earth inhospitable to humanity. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated timeline in the earth’s efforts to colonize space, as well as an unprecedented opportunity for a much larger share of humanity to take part. One of these new entrants in the space race is Elma York, whose experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too—aside from some pesky barriers like thousands of years of history and a host of expectations about the proper place of the fairer sex. And yet, Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions may not stand a chance.

Annex by Rich Larson
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At first it is a nightmare. When the invaders arrive, the world as they know it is destroyed. Their friends are kidnapped. Their families are changed. Then it is a dream. With no adults left to run things, Violet and the others who have escaped capture are truly free for the first time. They can do whatever they want to do. They can be whoever they want to be. But the invaders won’t leave them alone for long…

Sanctuary by Caryn Lix
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Alien meets Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds in this thrilling debut novel about prison-guard-in-training, Kenzie, who is taken hostage by the superpowered criminal teens of the Sanctuary space station—only to have to band together with them when the station is attacked by mysterious creatures.

And Then There Were Crows by Alcy Leyva
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When Amanda Grey inadvertently rents a room to a demon, Grey goes from a woman concentrated on her own personal demons to the woman responsible for recapturing the six Shades from Hell she’s unleashed upon the city. She manages to survive by accepting the help of Barnem, an antisocial seraphim who just happens to reside in an upstairs apartment and the demon she now shares her apartment with—and who oddly eager to help her vanquish the Shades, though she can’t be sure if he’s motivated by roommate loyalty or a secret plot to enslave humankind. Together the unlikely trio will have to face off with the (actual) devils of New York politics, break the curse of infomercial jingles, and figure out exactly how Grey has become the leader of a cult, all as Grey begins to realize that maybe the end of the world is exactly what her life needed. Now she just needs to figure out how to survive it.

Check out what other books are coming out this month on our Goodreads list!

What book are you most excited to read? Tell us in the comments below!

(P.S – The Nerd Daily occasionally receives commissions for the links included in this article, but all earnings go back into us hosting giveaways!)

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