Hey everyone 😀 Welcome to my August book haul! Below are all the books I got in August either from book subscription boxes or in my local book shop. Hope you enjoy! ❤

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean. Every generation, a competition to find the next empress of Honoku is held. The rules are simple. Conquer the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete – except for the yōkai, supernatural monsters whom the emperor has sworn to enslave and destroy. Mari has spent her whole life training to win the tournament and become empress. Winning should be easy, but she’s hiding a dangerous secret – one that would cost her life if discovered. Mari is a yōkai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. As she struggles to keep her true identity hidden, she crosses paths with Taro, the prince who has no desire to inherit the throne, and Akira, a half-human, half-yōkai outcast. Together, they will decide the fate of their world.

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen follows Fie, the future chieftain of a magical caste of mercy-killers. Fie has the ability to draw magic from the teeth of dead witches and use it to protect her band – The Crows, who take more abuse than coin. When they are summoned to collect the royal dead, Fie hopes for the payout of a lifetime. However, when she discovers that the Crown Prince and his bodyguard have faked their deaths to escape the ruthless Queen Rhusana, she’s ready to cut her losses. She strikes a deal with the Prince: make sure he lives to take the throne and he’ll protect The Crows when he’s King. The trio form an uneasy alliance that is quickly tested by secrets, shifting allegiances and forbidden feelings. With the Queen’s deadly trackers following close behind, the three fugitives must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice to save their own.

The Beckoning Shadow by Katharyn Blair follows Vesper Montgomery, a girl with a terrifying power she can barely control. Vesper can summon your worst fear and make it become a reality – and she’s learned the hard way that it’s an addicting and dangerous power. One wrong move and you could hurt someone you love. When she earns a spot in the Tournament of the Unraveling, where competitors battle for a chance to rewrite the past, she’s desperate to reverse the mistakes that have changed her. She turns to Sam Hardy, a former MMA fighter, who’s also carrying a tragedy he’s desperate to undo. However, helping Sam to heal his broken heart will mean breaking her own. This competition forces her to control her powers – powers she’s been terrified of since they ruined her life.

The Orphanage of Gods by Helena Coggan. During a bloody revolution, gods were all but wiped out. Since then, their children have been imprisoned in a orphanage, watched day and night by the ruthless guard. Any that show signs of divine power mysteriously vanish from their beds at night, all knowledge of their existence denied. No one has ever escaped the orphanage – until now. Seventeen-year-old Hero is finally free, but her sister gets captured by the guard and is being held in a prison in the northern sea. Hero desperately wants to save her sister, and escape from the murderous guard that are hunting her down. But not all the gods are dead, and they have their own plans for Hero – ones that will change the world forever. As she advances further into the unknown, Hero must decide: how far she is willing to go to do what needs to be done?

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir follows Gideon, brought up by unfriendly nuns, ancient retainers and countless skeletons, she is ready to give up a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. However, her childhood nemesis has other ideas and won’t set her free without a service. With her escape plan thwarted, she is summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs of each of the nine houses loyal to him to enter a deadly trial of wits and skill. Harrowhawk, Daughter of the Ninth House, a bone witch with extraordinary powers is one of those invited to enter the trial. If she succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, however no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. That’s where Gideon comes in. Harrow needs Gideon’s sword, or else she will fail the trial and the Ninth House will die. Of course, some things are better left dead.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert follows the story of Vivian Morris, who has just been kicked out of Vassar College due to her disappointing freshman-year performance. Her well-to-do parents send her off to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a flamboyant, crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. Vivian is introduced to a new world of unconventional and charismatic characters, from the fun-chasing showgirls to a sexy male actor, a lady-killer writer and a no-nonsense stage manager. When Vivian makes a huge mistake that results in a professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down. Through it all, she meets the love of her life, a love that stands out from all the rest. Now ninety-five years old, she recalls the events that changed her life all those years ago.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He. Princess Hesina of Yan has never been interested in the responsibilities of the crown, but when her father is murdered, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find who killed her father, she asks a soothsayer for help – a treasonous act punishable by death… because magic has been outlawed in Yan for centuries. Using the information provided to her by the sooth, she is unsure if she can even trust her own family. She turns to Akira, a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, will Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?

Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard. Return to the deadly and dazzling world of Red Queen in this beautiful must-have companion to Victoria Aveyard’s chart topping series. It features three brand-new novellas, two previously published novellas, Steal Scars and Queen Song, and never-before-seen maps, flags, family trees, bonus scenes, journal entries and more. The new novellas take place after the dramatic events of War Storm. This stunning collection offers a entirely new look into the beloved characters in the iconic Red Queen series, where no one is as they appear, and the only certainty is betrayal.

Hope you guys enjoyed my August book haul! ❤ What books did you get in August? Let me know in the comments 😀 Bye guys, happy reading! xx

Book Hauls blog blogger bookblog bookdragon bookhaul bookish booklovers books bookstagram bookworm read readerlife readers reading YA Young Adult