The Friday Face-Off: Unknown Magical Abilities

    

Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme at Books by Proxy. Join us every Friday as we pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.  You can find a list of upcoming topics at Lynn's Books.

This week's topic is:

Unknown Magical Abilities

There are a number of books out there about characters who discover magical things about themselves, and I've decided to feature Jessica Townsend's delightful middle grade novel Nevermore: The Trials of Morrigan Crow for this week's topic! This is such a fun series and I was excited to see all the different cover editions that exist for it–and I wasn't disappointed! Take a look at some of the imaginative and colorful International covers for this one:

2017 US Hardcover | 2018 UK Paperback | 2018 Finnish

2018 German | 2018 Danish | 2018 Ukrainian

2019 Vietnamese | 2017 Serbian | 2019 Thai

My choice(s):

I honestly don't know which one is my favorite! I love that they included a huge illustration of the Magnificat on the Vietnamese edition, and I also find the Danish illustration really fun. I think the Thai edition really captures how Morrigan felt trying to get used to her new situation, haha,  and the original US and UK editions are also really fun! 

What cover(s) do you like the most?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Hollowpox by Jessica Townsend & The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

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.

October is yet another huge month for publishing releases, which means I'm going to once again be sharing three releases for my Can't-Wait Wednesday's this month!

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

Hollowpox: The Hunted for Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #3) by Jessica Townsend
Publication: October 15th, 2020

Orion Children's Books

Hardcover. 384 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Morrigan Crow and her friends have survived their first year as proud scholars of the elite Wundrous Society, helped bring down the nefarious Ghastly Market, and proven themselves loyal to Unit 919. Now Morrigan faces a new, exciting challenge: to master the mysterious Wretched Arts of the Accomplished Wundersmith, and control the power that threatens to consume her. 

Meanwhile, a strange and frightening illness has taken hold of Nevermoor, turning infected Wunimals into mindless, vicious Unnimals on the hunt. As victims of the Hollowpox multiply, panic spreads. There are whispers - growing louder every day - that this catastrophe can only be the work of the Wundersmith, Ezra Squall. 

But inside the walls of Wunsoc, everyone knows there is a new Wundersmith - one who's much closer to home. With Nevermoor in a state of fear and the truth about Morrigan threatening to get out, the city she loves becomes the most perilous place in the world. Morrigan must try to find a cure for the Hollowpox, but it will put her - and everyone in Nevermoor - in more danger than she could have imagined."

I have been loving the Nevermoor series and this next installment has been one of my most anticipated releases of the year! I can't wait to finally get a chance to read it.

and...

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Publication: October 13th, 2020

Orbit

Hardcover. 528 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box. 

But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive. 

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be."

I have a copy of this coming from Orbit and I can't wait to check it out! I'm really curious to see what's next from Harrow and this premise sounds like it's going to be a strong one.

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

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Vanished Queen by Lisbeth Campbell, Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, & Eva Evergreen: Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe

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: 

The Vanished Queen by Lisbeth Campbell
Publication: August 18th, 2020

Gallery/Saga Press

Hardcover. 496 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"When a country is held in thrall to a vicious, despotic king, it’s up to one woman to take him down. 

Long ago, Queen Mirantha vanished. King Karolje claimed it was an assassination by a neighboring king, but everyone knew it was a lie. He had Disappeared her himself. 

But after finding the missing queen’s diary, Anza—impassioned by her father’s unjust execution and inspired by Mirantha’s words—joins the resistance group to overthrow the king. When an encounter with Prince Esvar thrusts her into a dangerous game of court politics, one misstep could lead to a fate worse than death. 

Esvar is the second son to an evil king. Trapped under his thumb and desperate for a way out, a chance meeting with Anza gives him the opportunity to join the resistance. Together, they might have the leverage to move against the king—but if they fail, their deaths could mean a total loss of freedom for generations to follow.."

So I actually just finished an ARC of this the other day, but it's another one where I am still so excited to see the finished product. The cover artwork is especially beautiful and I bet it looks wonderful on the hardcover (although it was already pretty lovely on my ARC)! This was also an really compelling and highly political fantasy, so I'd recommend it if that sounds up your alley. :)

and...

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #3) by Jessica Townsend

Publication: August 18th, 2020

Orion Children's Books/Little, Brown 

Hardcover. 384 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Morrigan Crow and her friends have survived their first year as proud scholars of the elite Wundrous Society, helped bring down the nefarious Ghastly Market, and proven themselves loyal to Unit 919. Now Morrigan faces a new, exciting challenge: to master the mysterious Wretched Arts of the Accomplished Wundersmith, and control the power that threatens to consume her. 

Meanwhile, a strange and frightening illness has taken hold of Nevermoor, turning infected Wunimals into mindless, vicious Unnimals on the hunt. As victims of the Hollowpox multiply, panic spreads. There are whispers - growing louder every day - that this catastrophe can only be the work of the Wundersmith, Ezra Squall. 

But inside the walls of Wunsoc, everyone knows there is a new Wundersmith - one who's much closer to home. With Nevermoor in a state of fear and the truth about Morrigan threatening to get out, the city she loves becomes the most perilous place in the world. Morrigan must try to find a cure for the Hollowpox, but it will put her - and everyone in Nevermoor - in more danger than she could have imagined."

I have been loving the Nevermoor series and I can't wait to finally get a chance to read this next book in the series! This series is so imaginative, exciting, and easily enjoyed by kids and adults--if you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend it!

and...

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe

Publication: August 4th, 2020

Little, Brown

Hardcover. 400 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Sometimes all you need is a pinch of magic...

Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before she turns thirteen years old. If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it's a simple enough test: 

ONE: Help your town, do good all around.
TWO: Live there for one moon, don't leave too soon.
THREE: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.

The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep. 

When she lands on the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she's worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her "semi-magical fixes" repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva's bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she's grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm."

I thought I'd share another middle grade today because this one sounds particularly delightful and I think we could all use something fun like this to read right now!

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