Waiting on Wednesday: The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY

The City of Lost Fortunes

by Bryan Camp

The fate of New Orleans rests in the hands of a wayward grifter in this novel of gods, games, and monsters. 

The post–Katrina New Orleans of The City of Lost Fortunes is a place haunted by its history and by the hurricane’s destruction, a place that is hoping to survive the rebuilding of its present long enough to ensure that it has a future. Street magician Jude Dubuisson is likewise burdened by his past and by the consequences of the storm, because he has a secret: the magical ability to find lost things, a gift passed down to him by the father he has never known—a father who just happens to be more than human.

Jude has been lying low since the storm, which caused so many things to be lost that it played havoc with his magic, and he is hiding from his own power, his divine former employer, and a debt owed to the Fortune god of New Orleans. But his six-year retirement ends abruptly when the Fortune god is murdered and Jude is drawn back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind. A world full of magic, monsters, and miracles. A world where he must find out who is responsible for the Fortune god’s death, uncover the plot that threatens the city’s soul, and discover what his talent for lost things has always been trying to show him: what it means to be his father’s son. 

Why I need this book:

1.) A book set in New Orleans. Check. By a New Orleans author. Check. Check. I'm a hard-sell on books set in New Orleans written by people who have never lived here. I've seen it go very badly. This is not that. 

2.) I've read an excerpt (there's one on NetGalley) and it's fabulous. You should read it too. But then you'll want to read more. Just like I do. ;)

3.) Magic. Gods. Monsters. 

Yep. I'm sold. Can't wait for this to hit the shelves. In April, 2018. In the meantime I'll be sitting here, petting the cover on my computer screen. And re-reading that excerpt. As one does. 

Happy Reading,

Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recs in my comments. Oh, yeah, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

And if you missed last week's: WoW

THE FOLK KEEPER by Franny Billingsley

The Folk Keeper

by Franny Billingsley

She is never cold, she always knows exactly what time it is, and her hair grows two inches while she sleeps. Fifteen-year-old Corinna Stonewall--the only Folk Keeper in the city of Rhysbridge--sits hour after hour with the Folk in the dark, chilly cellar, "drawing off their anger as a lightning rod draws off lightning." The Folk are the fierce, wet-mouthed, cave-dwelling gremlins who sour milk, rot cabbage, and make farm animals sick. Still, they are no match for the steely, hard-hearted, vengeful orphan Corinna who prides herself in her job of feeding, distracting, and otherwise pacifying these furious, ravenous creatures. The Folk Keeper has power and independence, and that's the way she likes it.

One day, Corinna is summoned by Lord Merton to come to the vast seaside estate Cliffsend as Folk Keeper and family member--for she is the once-abandoned child he has been looking for. It is at Cliffsend that Corinna learns where her unusual powers come from, why she is drawn to the sea, and finally, what it means to be comfortable in her own skin. Written in the form of a journal, The Folk Keeper is a powerful story of a proud, ferociously self-reliant girl who breaks out of her dark, cold, narrow world into one of joy, understanding, and even the magic of romance. 

What I thought:

Beautiful story. Beautiful language. I loved how ruthless the MC is and how she navigates her life with such confidence. 

I think my favorite thing about this book is how succinctly it's written, and how Billingsley manages to say so much with so few words. 

Highly recommend. 

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Happy Reading,

Chelly

P.S. Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recs in my comments. Oh, yeah, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

Waiting on Wednesday: Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood

Which book am I dying to read? This one:

Nothing But Sky

by Amy Trueblood

Grace Lafferty only feels alive when she's dangling 500 feet above ground. As a post-World War I wing walker, Grace is determined to get to the World Aviation Expo, proving her team’s worth against flashier competitors and earning a coveted Hollywood contract.

No one’s ever questioned Grace’s ambition until Henry Patton, a mechanic with plenty of scars from the battlefield, joins her barnstorming team. With each new death-defying trick, Henry pushes Grace to consider her reasons for being a daredevil. Annoyed with Henry’s constant interference, and her growing attraction to him, Grace continues to test the powers of the sky.

After one of her risky maneuvers saves a pilot’s life, a Hollywood studio offers Grace a chance to perform at the Expo. She jumps at the opportunity to secure her future. But when a stunt goes wrong, Grace must decide whether Henry, and her life, are worth risking for one final trick. 

Wing walker/daredevil = sold. And that cover = yes. There's so much yes going on here. Are you dying to read this, too? Feel free to commiserate in the comments.  

The release date is March 27, 2018, which feels like forever. Click on the cover to link to Goodreads. Oh, yeah, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

Happy Reading,

Chelly

And if you missed last week's: WoW