Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Can't-Wait Wednesday: A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay & The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

 
Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlight is: 

A Brightness Long Ago
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
Publication: May 14th, 2019
Berkley
Hardcover. 448 pages.


"International bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay's latest work is set in a world evoking early Renaissance Italy and offers an extraordinary cast of characters whose lives come together through destiny, love, and ambition.

In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a ruling count--and soon learned why that man was known as the Beast. 

Danio's fate changed the moment he saw and recognized Adria Ripoli as she entered the count's chambers one autumn night--intending to kill. Born to power, Adria had chosen, instead of a life of comfort, one of danger--and freedom. Which is how she encounters Danio in a perilous time and place. 

Vivid figures share the unfolding story. Among them: a healer determined to defy her expected lot; a charming, frivolous son of immense wealth; a powerful religious leader more decadent than devout; and, affecting all these lives and many more, two larger-than-life mercenary commanders, lifelong adversaries, whose rivalry puts a world in the balance."
I love the sound of the setting, and although the synopsis is fairly long, I still don't really have any idea what to expect from this book. Still, something just draws me to it and I'm really excited to see what it's all about! (The UK cover for this one is gorgeous!)

and...
The Candle and the Flame
The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad
Publication: May 14th, 2019
Scholastic Press
Hardcover. 416 pages.


"Azad's debut  fantasy is set in a city along the Silk Road that is a refuge for those of all faiths, where a young woman is threatened by the war between two clans of powerful djinn. 
Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population -- except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar. 

But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom, ways that scare even those who love her. Oud in hand, Fatima is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of Zulfikar and the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield. 

Nafiza Azad weaves an immersive tale of magic and the importance of names; fiercely independent women; and, perhaps most importantly, the work for harmony within a city of a thousand cultures and cadences.."
The setting of this one also really draws me! I love when books incorporate djinn as well, and that element combined with the sound of this plot makes me really look forward to it.

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

4 comments:

  1. I love the sound of both of these. And I'm especially drawn to the cover of The Candle and the Flame😁

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  2. The Silk Road element has me super curious for Candle and the Flame!

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  3. The cover on A Brightness Long Ago is so interesting!

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  4. Great picks! Both sound like they will be awesome. I'm intrigued by the use of more than one kind of djinn in the second book. Hope you enjoy them both!

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