If you’re searching for your new favourite book and/or author, look no further! We invited our friends from QBD Books to tell us which titles they are most looking forward to from July.
Truelife (Truel1f3)
By Jay Kristoff
Out Now
No other series has ever made me so frightened of the future, yet so entertained by all the possibilities we might face. In his Lifelike series, Kristoff introduces us to a bleak future of glass-stormed desert wastelands, thick black oceans, toxic air, puritanical religious cults, superpowers, and the threat of both artificial intelligence takeover and nuclear destruction.
The characters – Eve, her best friend Lemon Fresh, her old love Ezekiel, and her sidekick robot Cricket – are so loveable in their own ways, and I can’t wait to be reunited with them so we can finish kicking butt together!
– Brooke, QBD Books Penrith, NSW
Pokémon Adventures Collector’s Edition, Vol. 2
By Hidenori Kusaka
Release Date: Wednesday, 8 July 2020
Unless you’ve been living under a Geodude, chances are you’ve heard of the hit franchise that is Pokémon. But have you heard of the manga series? While the games may take on a more ‘child-like’ tone, Hidenori Kusaka’s take on the series is a more mature exploration of the series. Follow Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow on their journey through the first games in the series in the Kanto region.
Volume 2 of the Collector’s Edition follows Yellow, or ‘Amarillo’, as he works to find out what happened to Red after a confrontation on Cerise Island. With the help of some new and some familiar faces, Yellow will have his work cut out for him as he faces some of the threats that stumped even the great trainer, Red. If you’re looking for a new take on a long-lived franchise, the Pokémon Adventures series is a great place to start!
– Rory, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
The Story of Silence
By Alex Myers
Release Date: Wednesday, 8 July 2020
Back when girls could not inherit and a boy was all anyone wished for, Silence was born.
Hidden away in secrecy, Silence was raised as a boy, with the hope that the family lands could be handed down to Silence and remain intact. In a world where gender and class mean everything, Silence must forge their way through life and set out to define themselves.
Based on an old French tale from the 13th century, The Story of Silence is a complex, multilayered story, set in the land of knights and dragons. It deals with the role gender plays in our lives, and is sure to ring true for those in today’s world.
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
Spy x Family, Vol. 1
By Tatsuya Endo
Release Date: Wednesday, 8 July 2020
What do you get when you have a master spy, a lethal assassin, and a cute little esper pretending to be a happy little family? If you guessed one of the highest selling manga to be released in the past year, congratulations! Despite Spy x Family only hitting shelves in March of 2019, it’s become a standout manga even amongst other popular titles such as Demon Slayer and Dr. Stone.
Tatsuya Endo manages to mix the realistic and fantastic to a perfect degree, having realistic dramas and conflicts with characters who are anything but. The characters are all amazing as well, from the stoic and distant Loid, to the clumsy and sometimes oblivious Yor, and especially the cute and endearing Anya. Once you pick up this manga, get ready for one of the best series you’ve ever read, with the promise of plenty more to come!
– Rory, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
Queen of Storms
By Raymond Feist
Release Date: Tuesday, 14 July 2020
The world of the Five Kingdoms was introduced so vividly in King of Ashes that the wait to return has felt like a long one! Book 2 of the Firemane Trilogy, centres around Hatu and Hava, Declan and Gwen – all of whom have found comfort in a simple life at the end of the last book. However, you just know the peace won’t last, and the serenity will be disrupted, as the action that Feist brings unfolds around them.
Hatu, the last in his family line, has tried to hide from those who want him dead (or to use his family name for their own gain). But as expected, life has other plans. I am looking forward to getting better acquainted with our characters, and cannot wait to see what magic and intrigue this instalment brings to the series!
– Megan, QBD Books Traralgon, VIC
The Water’s Daughter
By Michelle Lovric
Release Date: Tuesday, 14 July 2020
The Water’s Daughter is the unique and interesting tale of Aurelia Bon – a young, twelve-year-old girl, who has the ability to see the events that have happened in a building, simply by placing her hand on the wall.
The power to trace history through touch leads Aurelia to a peculiar mystery. Why are all the young boys in Venice disappearing?
I am so excited to see this mixture of mystery and fantasy finally make its way into middle grade fiction. Often explored separately, I am yet to see these two genres come together in such an interesting way.
The Water’s Daughter may just be the novel that fills a gap in middle-grade fantasy, by pairing mysteries and magical realism together in a children’s book.
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
The Extraordinaries (The Extraordinaries #1)
By T.J. Klune
Release Date: Tuesday, 14 July 2020
T.J. Klune is killing it with books this year. The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favourite books this year. So when I heard that Klune was bringing out a YA fantasy, I knew that I needed to pick it up immediately!
The Extraordinaries is a queer coming of age story that follows a fanboy and the heroes that he loves. This one sounds like it’s going to be wholesome, fun, and just the book I need. Coming of age stories are some of my favourite novels, and this one is sure to be fantastic. It’s going to be full of friendships, love, and superheroes! What more could you want?
– Angelique, QBD Books Broadmeadows, VIC
The Year of The Witching
By Alexis Henderson
Release Date: Tuesday, 21 July 2020
I don’t normally read horror books, but every now and then a story comes along that generates just enough interest to entice me. The Year of The Witching is that book for July.
Drawing on such storylines as puritan churches and historical witch trials, The Year of The Witching promises to keep you up all night as you learn the true history within the land of Bethel.
With a fierce female lead, drawing on her own power to bring down those that seek to destroy her, and told through a terrifying, heart-pounding, gut-wrenching dark fantasy, The Year of the Witching is bound to be an unforgettable debut from Alexis Henderson.
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
The Way of the House Husband Vol. 3
By Kousuke Oono
Release Date: Wednesday, 22 July 2020
Who doesn’t love a comedy about an ex-yakuza legend learning to be a good house husband? One of my favourite comedy manga I’ve read in a while, it follows the legendary ‘Immortal Dragon’ as he leaves behind his life in the Yakuza to support his wife, and become a house husband, turning normally mundane tasks into not-so mundane tasks. It’s a concept I hadn’t heard of before, but now I can’t wait to read more.
The first two volumes were hilarious, and I expect that the third will be just as amusing. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of this!
– Rhyannion, QBD Books Highpoint, VIC
My Hero Academia Vol. 24
By Kouhei Horikoshi
Release Date: Wednesday, 22 July 2020
The next volume in one of my favourite manga series! What would the world be like if 80% of the population had superpowers called ‘quirks’? My Hero Academia explores just that, following Izuku Midoriya as he embarks on his education to become the Top Hero in Japan. This series is action-packed, and filled with great character development. I’m always excited for the story to continue in each new volume.
Vol. 24 promises to come through on all fronts – none more so than the development of the villains. I love a well-crafted villain, and this volume is shaping up for some quality villain action. I can’t wait!
– Rhyannion, QBD Books Highpoint, VIC
Flyaway
By Kathleen Jennings
Release Date: Tuesday, 28 July 2020
Coming from a background of illustrating, Kathleen Jennings brings us her debut novella. Flyaway is an Australian Gothic fairy-tale of mystery and magic. It follows Bettina Scott, a young woman whose father and brothers have disappeared into the scrublands surrounding her family home. Bettina doesn’t expect ever to hear from her missing family again. Until one day, she receives a note. A note that raises a thousand questions, and will draw Bettina deep into the mysterious rabbit hole of the scrublands beyond. And here (as they say), there be monsters!
I am so intrigued by this novel! I think it’ll be particularly interesting to see how Jennings applies Gothic tropes (usually associated with shadows and darkness) to the relentless, sun-baked setting of outback Australia. Not to mention, I simply haven’t read many books at all that use supernatural folklore in an Australian setting, the way Jennings does here. Flyaway is set to be a unique, gothic fantasy, as complex and intricate as one of Jennings’ famous cut-paper silhouettes.
– Alyssa, QBD Books Penrith, NSW
