Blob by Maggie Su (January 28) is a tiny 256-page book categorized as ‘Magical Realism.’ Vi Liu, the protagonist, feels ill at ease in her Midwestern college town.
The 23-year-old got dumped, then she dropped out of college. Now she works at a hotel, a job that is hardly fulfilling. Her fortunes take an interesting turn when she discovers a blob with beady eyes after attending a local drag show.
Once Vi learns that her blob is sentient, she molds the creature into her ideal partner, the type of man who will love her unconditionally. But the Blob won’t be controlled. The author has a PhD in fiction (University of Cincinnati) which I had never heard of. I assume it’s comparable to a PhD in creative writing.
Early reviews call the book quirky with a simple premise that is surprisingly entertaining despite its unlikeable protagonist. The author has a weird sense of humour that comes through in her writing. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (January 21) will undoubtedly stir controversy when it debuts because the book is a follow-up to Fourth Wing and Iron Flame.
Few subjects triggered as many arguments in 2024 as Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Some people hate those novels with a passion, and they have written entire essays dissecting Rebecca Yarros’s storytelling weaknesses. Others practically worship the author.
Onyx Storm picks up where its predecessor left off. Violet Sorrengail has been training at Basgiath War College for eighteen months now. With new enemies looming and old ones nipping at her heels, the school takes a backseat as Violet seeks allies beyond the failing Aratian wards, a quest that threatens to push her to the breaking point.
All The Water In The World by Eiren Caffall (January 7) is an adult dystopian novel that takes readers to a world where the glaciers melted, flooding civilization. While everyone fled, Nonie, her family, and their friends stayed behind in New York City, a decision that initially paid off.
The city is deserted but dry. The family lives on top of the American Museum of Natural History, hunting game, growing food in Central Park and only taking supplies from the exhibits in the museum when the need is dire.
Nonie’s life would have proceeded predictably if a superstorm had not breached the flood walls. Now Nonie and her family are on the run, fighting to stay afloat while navigating communities that adapted to humanity’s new reality in frightening ways.
All The Water In The World is as slow and contemplative as you expect from climate fiction, which would explain the criticisms from some reviewers who thought the novel was too slow. Daughter of Chaos by A.S. Webb (January 25) is the first novel in The Dark Pantheon. This is also Webb’s debut novel.
The author has an English Literature and Theater Studies BA (University of Leeds). She is obsessed with history and mythology, which explains the subject matter of her debut novel. Daughter of Chaos follows Danae, a fisherman’s daughter living in a world where tyrannical gods shape the lives of the mortals who inhabit Ancient Greece.
Danae joins the legendary Herecles and his crew after developing strange powers. Together, they undertake a quest that pits them against gods and monsters. Along the way, Danae discovers a terrifying truth with disastrous consequences for the world.
Early reviews have praised A.S. Webb for creating a fictional narrative that stays true to the spirit of the myths and legends that inspired her debut novel. And that should do for now. Happy reading.
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