Happy Canada Day, friends! Today, in honour (not honor) of my home and native land, I decided to celebrate by sharing with you some of my favourite Canadian-written novels. But, I quickly realized that I haven't read nearly enough Canadian books to write anything of substance, so here we are.
See, I didn't want to write a post on Canada Day without making it a little bit festive, so I thought: Hey! I'll just make my Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine) pick a book that's by a Canadian.
And, as J.K. Rowling would say, all was well.
A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
336 pages
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: October 6, 2015
From Goodreads:
Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.
And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.
Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.
Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.
And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.
Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.
Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.
Why I'm Waiting:
Let's just get the obvious out of the way first, shall we? Because holy shit damn, that cover is magnificent. I honestly can't tear my eyes away from it right now. I'm typing blind, guys. It's perfection. Besides the physical beauty of this book, I am so excited to actually, you know, read it. I've been getting really excited about retellings lately, and this one just seems like it's going to be completely awesome. Plus, I recently went to an author panel/signing that E.K. Johnston was a part of, and her awesomeness just made me even more excited to read her books!
What books are you looking forward to? Any Canadian books I should be looking out for?
I am so excited for this one also...the cover is just downright gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThis one definitely sounds interesting! I'll have to get a copy when it comes out. :)
ReplyDeleteKrystianna @ Downright Dystopian
Can't wait till I get to my egalley of this one! Great pick!
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