Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas & The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall


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 spotlights are: 

Okay, so I usually posts coming up in the upcoming month for my Can't-Wait Wednesday posts, but since May and June books keep getting their releases pushed back, my planned posts keep getting a bit messed up and my options keep getting slimmer. Nevertheless, there are still a few have maintained their May release date thus far, so we will forge ahead with the ones that are still there!

Catherine House
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Publication: May 12th, 2020
Custom House
Hardcover. 320 pages.

"A seductive, gothic-infused tale of literary suspense—the debut of a spectacular new voice —about a dangerously curious young undergraduate whose rebelliousness leads her to discover a shocking secret involving an exclusive circle of students . . . and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige.

You are in the house and the house is in the woods.
You are in the house and the house is in you . . .

Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises a future of sublime power and prestige, and that its graduates can become anything or anyone they desire. 

Among this year’s incoming class is Ines Murillo, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline—only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. Even the school’s enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand their minds, to find themselves within the formidable iron gates of Catherine. For Ines, it is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had. But the House’s strange protocols soon make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when tragedy strikes, Ines begins to suspect that the school—in all its shabby splendor, hallowed history, advanced theories, and controlled decadence—might be hiding a dangerous agenda within the secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum."
This sounds right up my alley and I hope to have the opportunity to read it soon!

and...
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Publication: May 5th, 2020
Candlewick Press
Hardcover. 368 pages.


"A desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial daughter find a connection on the high seas in a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic. 

Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora the girl takes on the identity of Florian the man to earn the respect and protection of the crew. For Flora, former starving urchin, the brutal life of a pirate is about survival: don’t trust, don’t stick out, and don’t feel. But on this voyage, as the pirates prepare to sell their unsuspecting passengers into slavery, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, who is en route to a dreaded arranged marriage with her own casket in tow. Flora doesn’t expect to be taken under Evelyn’s wing, and Evelyn doesn’t expect to find such a deep bond with the pirate Florian. 

Soon the unlikely pair set in motion a wild escape that will free a captured mermaid (coveted for her blood, which causes men to have visions and lose memories) and involve the mysterious Pirate Supreme, an opportunistic witch, and the all-encompassing Sea itself."
This just sounds absolutely delightful. Pirates, mermaids, witches--what else could you want in an adventurous fantasy!?

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

5 comments:

  1. I'm very interested in Catherine House as well. And I checked the other day and I think I have 5 May review books that are still being released. But yep, May and June are weird right now in publishing!

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  2. I love the sounds of both of these!

    My CWW

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  3. I really need to get to Catherine House. I have an arc and am really excited for it.

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  4. I keep entering giveaways for Catherine House, it sounds awesome!

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  5. Catherine House is one I am really looking forward to as well. It sounds so good! I am also very interested in The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea. The title alone has me curious. I hope you enjoy both of these when you read them. Stay safe and well.

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