#R.J. Barker

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

[kernelscorner]

Cover Reveal News Round-Up, Including Books By Joe Abercrombie, RJ Barker, J. K. Rowling, J. R. R. Tolkien And TJ Klune

[isvoc]

I recently finished The Tide Child Trilogy by R.J. Barker and well… Keyshans are rising in my sketchbook. Big shout out to TC for gifting me the books because 😭💙

[himboskywalker]

Heyy boo, do you have a book that is not star wars related that you wish you could read for the first time or reread all the time?

I am searching for books recommendations and I am pretty open about every genre, maybe not horror but everything else is totally fine.

My number one book recommendation that I will always obnoxiously shove in everyone’s faces is Lord of the Rings. It is my heart and soul and favorite thing in the world and if you’ve never read the trilogy I highly recommend it. But I also have quite a few other recs!

Anything written by Andy Weir. “The Martian” is his best known work,which they made the Matt Damon movie of,and while I do love it “Project Hail Mary” is my favorite of his and one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time.

I loved “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” which was Christopher Paolini’s sci-fi debut a couple years ago but he just came out with its prequel “Fractal Noise” and I liked it even more.

For some good old fashioned space opera brilliance I recommend the “Final Architecture” trilogy by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The last book of the series just came out and I DEVOURED it. Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time,Ruin,and Memory are also phenomenal, you really just can’t go wrong with him.

For more space opera and politics I highly recommend Arkady Martine,she DEBUTED with “Memory Called Empire” which won all sorts of awards. The sequel also recently came out but I haven’t gotten the chance to read it.

I’m in the middle of reading Pierce Brown’s “Red Rising” saga,which I would describe as adult Hunger Games,and have thoroughly enjoying it as well!

For fantasy I love Samantha Shannon’s “Priory of the Orange Tree” and “A Day of Fallen Night”. You’ll get varying opinions of what to read first,I read Priory when it first came out so that’s my biased opinion.

I’m a massive fan of “She Who Became the Sun” by Shelly Parker-Chan and their sequel “He Who Drowned the World” and I want it to go on record I read SWBS when it first came out and before it blew up *flips hair*

R.J. Barker’s “Tide Child” trilogy is awesome,first book of that series is “The Bone Ships.” It’s high seas fantasy with dragon bone ships and epic war and amazing world building.

I always highly recommend “Gideon the Ninth” by Tamsyn Muir and now also the rest of the books in the series. I think the usual pitch is lesbian necromancers in space.

I cannot cannot recommend “The Shadow of the Gods” by John Gwynne enough! It’s quintessential epic fantasy told as a Norse epic and it’s in my top five of modern fantasy books.

While I have serious beef with Song of Achilles just like our fellow obikin Will,I did love and devour Madeline Miller’s “Circe.” In every way I think it’s her superior work.

I can’t recommend fantasy without recommending “The Grace of Kings” by Ken Liu. His entire series will blow your socks off,but the first book won nearly every award for fantasy books that have ever existed.

I’m a huge fan of R.F Kuang’s “The Poppy War” series although I’ve heard this one is a contentious recommendation. I think this series is hate or love it but if for whatever reason you don’t vibe with this series I also highly recommend Kuang’s “Babel.”

If you want something a little less well known I could chew through drywall over Simon Jimenez’s “The Spear Cuts Through Water.” It was in my top five of 2023 release books.

I can also make a separate rec list of less new books and overall classics I always recommend or gift to people,both fiction and nonfiction!

[blueberreads]

24 in 2024

Thanks @logarithmicpanda tagging me!

I only included books I already own because I'm lazy and didn't look into 2024 releases yet :D

1. Sailing by Orion's Star by Katie Crabb

2. The Siren, the Song and the Spy bu Maggie Tokuda-Hall

3. Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

4. A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee

5. Longshadow by Olivia Atwater

6. Labyrinth's Heart by M.A. Carrick

7. The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi

8. Defiant by Brandon Sanderson

9. Perception Check by Astrid Knight

10. Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith

11. The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke

12. When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

13. The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker

14. To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

15. Daughter of Redwinter by E.D. McDonald

16. The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso

17. Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

18. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

19. The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard

20. Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans

21. The House Witch by Delemhach

22. The Councillor by E.J. Beaton

23. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

24. The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Tagging @traeumenvonbuechern, @beforeviolets and @starryfox0

[kazz-brekker]

Mid-Year Book Freakout

I was tagged by @libraryleopard, thanks!

Number of books you’ve read so far: 127

Best book you’ve read so far in 2024: The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri (yes this was a 2022 release…let me live)

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024: I suppose I can't also say The Oleander Sword for this well, but I also really liked Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcette

New release you haven’t read yet but want to: The Daughters' War by Christopher Buehlman (I owned a signed copy from a book event I went to recently)

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: Warlords of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker, also Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan (I read an arc and I very much want to yell about it to other people)

Biggest surprise: Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly (came recommended but was not on my radar until then)

Favorite new author (debut or new to you): Also Rebecca K. Reilly, I'm a fan for life after her debut

Newest fictional crush: Key from Long Live Evil (those who have not met him yet I promise you will understand in August)

Book that made you cry: I don't cry over books (or any media really) but there was a scene of the main character's friends rescuing her in in An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire which made me quite emotional

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received): I have two really nice editions of Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis and Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon with lovely sprayed edges

Book that made you happy: When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb made me smile SO much

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?: Too many…but to pick a few, The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah, He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan, Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, and Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman

Tagging: @wizardysseus, @shirleyjacksons, @asalesbian

[thenighttrain]

books read in 2023

finally continuing my yearly tradition. all rated out of 5 stars. bolded are my faves!

The Daughters of Izdihar (The Alamaxa Duology, #1) by Hadeer Elsbai ★★★☆☆

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland ★★★☆☆

Last Violent Call (Secret Shanghai, #3.5) by Chloe Gong ★★★☆☆

The Magician's Daughter by H.G. Parry ★★★★☆

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1) by Shannon Chakraborty ★★★☆☆

The Lies of the Ajungo (Forever Desert, #1) by Moses Ose Utomi ★★★☆☆

The Surviving Sky (Rages, #1) by Kritika H. Rao ★★★☆☆

The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1) by James Islington ★★★☆☆

Immortal Longings (Flesh and False Gods, #1) by Chloe Gong ★★☆☆☆

Gods of the Wyrdwood (Forsaken, #1) by R.J. Barker ★★★☆☆

To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1) by Moniquill Blackgoose ★★★☆☆

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1) by Rebecca Yarros ★★★☆☆

The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley ★★★☆☆

After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang ★★★★☆

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang ★★★★☆

White Trash Warlock (Adam Binder, #1) by David R. Slayton ★★★★☆

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters ★★★☆☆

The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones ★★★☆☆

All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown ★★★☆☆

Fury of the Dragon Goddess (Adventures of Sik Aziz #2) ★★★★☆

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang ★★★★☆

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron ★★★☆☆

Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting (Serwa Boateng, #1) by Roseanne A. Brown ★★★☆☆

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf ★★★★☆

Bonesmith (House of the Dead, #1) by Nicki Pau Preto ★★★☆☆

Garden of the Cursed (Garden of the Cursed, #1) by Katy Rose Pool ★★★★☆

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse ★★★☆☆

Don't Want to Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton DNF

The Buried and the Bound (The Buried and the Bound, #1) by Rochelle Hassan ★★★★☆

The Meadows by Stephanie Oakes ★★★☆☆

If Found, Return to Hell by Em X. Liu ★★★☆☆

Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations, #1) by B.B. Alston ★★★★☆

Starter Villain by John Scalzi ★★★★☆

Amari and the Great Game (Supernatural Investigations, #2) by B.B. Alston ★★★☆☆

The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #6) by Rick Riordan ★★★★☆

The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1) by V.E. Schwab ★★★☆☆

The Hexologists (The Hexologists, #1) by Josiah Bancroft ★★★☆☆

Foul Heart Huntsman (Foul Lady Fortune, #2) by Chloe Gong ★★★☆☆

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter ★★☆☆☆

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros ★★★★☆

Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee ★★★☆☆

The Prince's Poisoned Vow (Infernal War Saga, #1) by Hailey Turner ★★★☆☆

The Emperor's Bone Palace (Infernal War Saga #2) by Hailey Turner ★★★★☆

Beholder by Ryan La Sala ★★★★☆

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle ★★★★☆

The Forest Demands Its Due Kosoko Jackson ★★★☆☆

Reforged by Seth Haddon ★★★☆☆

The Scarlet Alchemist (The Scarlet Alchemist, #1) by Kylie Lee Baker ★★★★☆

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White DNF

The Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi ★★★☆☆

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs ★★★☆☆

All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters ★★☆☆☆

Frostheart (Frostheart, #1) by Jamie Littler ★★★★☆

The Vanquishers (The Vanquishers, #1) by Kalynn Bayron ★★★★☆

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller ★★★☆☆

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea (The Gods of Night and Day #1) by David R. Slayton ★★★☆☆

Dark Heir (Dark Rise, #2) by C.S. Pacat ★★★★☆

[briankeene]

2023 Splatterpunk Awards Final Ballot

For Immediate Release Wrath James White and Brian Keene are pleased to announce the final ballot for the 2023 Splatterpunk Awards, honoring superior achievement in the literary subgenres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror fiction published in 2022, as well as the sixth recipient of the J.F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award, and the recommendation process for the coming year.

The nominees are as follows:

BEST NOVEL*

-- Playground by Aron Beauregard (Independently Published)

 -- The Television by Edward Lee (Madness Heart Press)

 -- Faces of Beth by Carver Pike (Independently Published)

 -- Last of the Ravagers by Bryan Smith (Thunderstorm Books / Death’s Head Press)

 -- Mastodon by Steve Stred (Black Void Publishing)

 -- Ex-Boogeyman (Slasher vs The Remake) by Kristopher Triana (Bad Dream Books / Thunderstorm Books)

 BEST NOVELLA

 -- Charcoal by Garrett Cook (Clash Books) 

 -- Grandpappy by Patrick C. Harrison III (Independently Published)

 -- Mr. Tilling’s Basement by Edward Lee (Deadite Press)

 -- #thighgap by Chandler Morrison (Cemetery Gates Media)

 -- Plastic Monsters by Daniel J. Volpe (Independently Published)

 BEST SHORT STORY

-- “Just Another Bloodbath at Camp Woe-Be-Gone” by R.J. Benetti (Independently Published)

 -- “Of The Worm” by Ryan Harding (from Splatterpunk Zine issue 13)

 -- “My Chopping List” by Stephen Kozeniewski (from Counting Bodies Like Sheep, The Evil Cookie Publishing)

 -- “Gutted” by Bracken MacLeod (from Splatterpunk Zine issue 13)

 -- “Jinx” by Bridgett Nelson (from A Bouquet of Viscera)

BEST COLLECTION

 -- Always Listen To Her Hurt: Collected Works by Kenzie Jennings (Blistered Siren Press)

 -- Mr. Tilling’s Basement and Other Stories by Edward Lee (Deadite Press)

 -- Horrorsmut by Christine Morgan (The Evil Cookie Publishing)

 -- A Bouquet of Viscera by Bridgett Nelson (Independently Published)

 -- Pornography For the End of the World by Brendan Vidito (Weirdpunk Books)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

 -- Human Monsters edited by Sadie Hartmann and Ashley Sawyers (Dark Matter Ink)

 -- Camp Slasher Lake, Volume 1 edited by D.W. Hitz and Candace Nola (Fedowar Press)

 -- Counting Bodies Like Sheep edited by K. Trap Jones (The Evil Cookie Publishing)

 -- Call Me Hoop edited by SC Mendes & Lucy Leitner, created by Drew Stepek (Blood Bound Books)

 -- Czech Extreme edited by Lisa Lee Tone (Madness Heart Press)

J. F. GONZALEZ LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD**

 -- Monica J. O’Rourke

The final ballot is composed of top recommendations from readers, critics, and the general public and then voted on by our panel of six judges. The sixth annual Splatterpunk Awards will take place at KillerCon in Austin, Texas August 12th. For more details, visit here. 

The recommendation process for next year’s ballot is now open to readers, critics, and the general public. Eligible works must be first published in 2023, and must meet the definitions of either Splatterpunk or Extreme Horror. Email recommendations to splatterpunkawards@gmail.com. The recommendation window will close at 11:59pm (EST) on December 31, 2023. THERE WILL BE NO EXTENSIONS. Thank you for your attention in this matter.

With love and respect,

Wrath James White and Brian Keene, Splatterpunk Award cofounders.

* Tie category

** The previous J. F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award recipients are David J. Schow, David G. Barnett, Edward Lee, John Skipp, and Clive Barker.

[ulfrsmal]

just finished wake of the bone ships and I'm fucking crying, what a perfect ending yet so bittersweet and charged and 😭❤😭❤😭❤😭❤😭❤😭

R.J. Barker answer for your crimes!!!

[bookshelfmonkey]

What are ur favorite fantasy books?:)

aaaaahh, thank you so much for the ask!

I love to talk about books and fantasy is my favourite genre so this will be a long post (and might also be a bit late)

So, I'll go by sub-genre:

High fantasy:

The Tide Child series by R.J. Barker: an adventure series following a disgraced sailor and his new captain who wishes to end war by killing the last living dragon.

The God-King Chronicles by Mike Brooks: an epic fantasy spanning countries as different peoples come together and gods start to wage war.

Science fantasy:

The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin: the world is going through another apocalyptic cycle whilst a mother tries to track down her stolen child.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao: mechanical monsters controlled by humans are used to wage war at the cost of thousands of young women's lives.

Historical fantasy:

The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang: a brutal series set around twentieth century Chinese history.

Urban fantasy:

Greenbone saga by Fonda Lee: a book set on an island where certain people, "greenbones" are able to harness jade to give them superhuman abilities.

The Great Cities by N.K. Jemisin: cities have human personas who must fight against forces of evil to prevent their destruction

Portal fantasy:

The Wayward children series by Seanan McGuire*: a series about what happens to children when the disappear into other worlds and what they do when they return.

Dystopian fantasy:

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon*: a series where clairvoyants are oppressed by an authoritarian government.

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White: a sixteen-year-old escapes the religious cult that raised him and destroyed the world to fight back against them using their biggest weapon— himself

Contemporary/low fantasy:

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman: a book about a vampire working as an archivist.

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas: Tio, a semidiose, must win a brutal competition to avoid being sacrificed

*haven't finished the series so I can't vouch for the ending

This is a lot of books, I am now realising. Please let me know if you read/have read any of them.

Thanks again for the ask :)

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Tide Child

Author: R.J. Barker

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 2019

Genres: fiction, fantasy, adventure

Blurb: For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war. The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted. Now, the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favour...because whoever catches it will win not only glory, but the war.

[aristocraticelegance]

2022 Reading

Read: 51 books / DNF: 10

Top reads: The Bone Ship's Wake, R.J. Barker; Before They are Hanged, Joe Abercrombie; The Interview with the Vampire, Ann Rice (yes I'd never read this before); Under Fortunate Stars, Ren Hutchings; The Body Scout, Lincoln Michael; The Bayern Agenda/The Aleph Extraction, Dan Moren

Completely obsessed:

The Curse of Chalion/Paladin of Souls/The Hallowed Hunt, Lois McMaster Bujold: I am pretty bad at reading trologies/series in a timely fashion, but I pretty much inhaled these. They're a perfect example of fantasy writing that draws from history, rather than the sort of Fake Middle Ages that usually serves as the basis for secondary world fantasy.

The Bewitchments of Love and Hate, Storm Constantine: Second in the Wraethu trilogy. Ok, here's the thing: I'm OBSESSED with these books. Are they any good? I could not tell you. They answer the question nobody asked, i.e., what if, by means of Aleister Crowley-style occult magic, some humans created a new, magic species of human, who are, for obvious reasons, hermaphroditic bishonen. What of this story was set against the backdrop of a combination Mad Max apocalyptic landscape and some kind of 80's goth music video fever dream? What if, for Reasons, every chapter started like this:

I need someone else to read these books. I need someone who was an adult goth in the 80s when they were published to explain them to me.

Honorable Mentions: The Elric Saga, Michael Moorcock; Trouble on Triton, Samuel R. Delaney; Revelation Space, Alastair Reynolds; Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages, Roland Betancourt

[themoonking]

36, 47, 50 for the book thing

thank u for asking 🥰

36. your absolute most favorite character(s) from any book you've ever read.

uhhhh elrond and also his father earendil from tolkien's legendarium (im also a gimli and legolas enjoyer but e & e take the top spots). d from vampire hunter d. cutter from elfquest (he's literally my pfp). dandelion from the witcher saga so sorry the show did that to you my king. joron twiner from the tide child trilogy.

47. what are the last three books you read?

(from most recent down)

nona the ninth by tamsyn muir. feel like a bad lesbian for not enjoying this series as much as other people do. don't get me wrong i still like it, but its not exactly the type of fantasy i usually go for. i'm gonna buy and read the last book when it comes out, but unless that last one really blows me away idk if im gonna keep the series on my shelf.

the shadow of the gods by john gwynne. enjoyed it! definitely going to continue w/ this series, though i didn't enjoy it enough for it to be a high priority.

the bone ship's wake by r.j. barker. i loved this trilogy!! if you enjoy high fantasy of a similar tone (if not really a similar plot) to stuff like the witcher saga, you'll enjoy the tide child trilogy. when i picked up the first book it took me a little while to get into it, but now its in my top 10 series of all time. had to sit with the ending in silence for like 30 minutes before getting up. don't know what i'm gonna do with my life now that i finished it lmao.

50. what kind of book have you never read but always hope to find at some point in the future?

a few things:

(1) a very classic fairy tale esque knight saves princess full length novel but its lesbians. which im sure does exist out there, i just haven't found it yet.

and (2) an actually good, modern, full novel adaptation of child ballad 39 (ballad of tam lin) bc its like in my top 3 favorite fairy tales / folk tales of all time and all i have for it is fucking court of thorns and roses by that talentless hack sjm. i will find a good one someday even if i have to write it myself.

and maybe (3) sapphic werewolf x vampire romance. once again i'm sure its out there just haven't found it yet.

[artemis2020]

Fall is Here!!!

~ It's that time of the year again when the air becomes thin and brisk while the trees begin to shed their leaves. I have found myself taking deep breaths as I attempt to find the crunchiest leaves to step on.

~ It's nice being back home even though I desperately miss the life I left behind. It's almost as if I lost the game and had to start over from my last save, my last save being my parent's attic. At first, I was worried that I would amount to nothing, that I was destined to work as a lo-key manager for a chain retail store for the rest of my life. However, starting over again from the beginning seemed to change my mind.

~ I want to create something, to make people happy, this is my dream. However, the only way to achieve your dream is to work for it yourself and make it come true. Because of this, I have decided to write down my daily trials and tribulations here, for anyone also starting over in their lives. YOU ARE NOT ALONE:))))))

~ Current Fav Song: "Duvet"- boa/"All American B*tch"- Olivia Rodrigo

~ Current Read: "The Bone Ships"- R.J. Barker

[signourneybooks]

Gods of the Wyrdwood | ARC Review

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.   Book: Gods of the Wyrdwood (Forsaken 1) by R.J. Barker Release Date: June 27th 2023 Tags: Fantasy | Epic Fantasy | High Fantasy | Woods | Wood Magic | Wood Creatures | Magical Creatures | War | Gods Trigger/Content Warnings: Violence | Threats | Murder | Blood Other…

[greyselkie]

MID YEAR BOOK TAG 2023

i've seen this book tag going around and since i'm reading a lot more than my usual this year, i decided to do this myself too!

best book you've read so far: The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec, Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier and Nell Ruell va all'Inferno by R.J. Driscoll. for the latter book i don't know if the author has the intention to translate it in english, but if you read in italian and you're looking for a standalone fantasy with a dark setting and well written characters with also good queer representation, it's definitely worth a chance

best sequel you've read so far: The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

new release you haven’t read yet but want to: i'm going to talk only about italian releases for this and the next question, so The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker, Fable by Adrienne Young, The Dance Tree by Kirian Millwood Hargrave and Clitemnestra by Costanza Casati

most anticipated release for the second half of the year: O mirto o morte by Titania Blesh, Il tredicesimo nume by Giorgia D'Aversa, A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon and Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier

biggest disappointment: The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper. i found it kinda boring and right now i don't think i will read the sequels

biggest surprise: Detriti by Giuliana Leone. i bought this book knowing nothing about it except for the first little teaser the publisher shared and i end up loving it

favorite new author: Juliet Marillier, Genevieve Gornichec and Silvia Moreno-Garcia. manifesting for having more of their books translated here in italy

newest fictional crush: i haven't got any

newest favorite character: Fang Runin from The Poppy War, Nell Ruell from Nell Ruell va all'Inferno and Evie from Detriti

book that made you cry: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

a book that made you happy: Rebis by Irene Marchesini and Carlotta Dicataldo

favorite adaptation: i haven't watched any this year, but i'd really want to watch the Nimona movie

prettiest cover: Memorie di uno spirito felino by Marga Biazzi, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker and Fable, not only its cover but the edition itself with sprayed edges is very pretty. to be honest i read and bought several books with covers i like this year and picking was a little bit difficult, but you can see these four under the cut

a book you need to read before the end of the year: besides the releases previously mentioned, The Burning God by R.F. Kuang, Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier and i'd also like to reread both Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton

i'm not tagging anyone, but consider yourself tagged if you're interested in doing this too!