Emma Kristensen

On My Radar is a list of upcoming publications that look interesting and appeal to me. It’s a way for me to track what is coming out, to figure out what I am most excited about, and to make sure I don’t miss anything!

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Ever since I read The White Rabbit Chronicles series by Gena Showalter, I have kept my eye out for books inspired by Alice in Wonderland. I have noticed that quite a few authors explore this story through a mental hospital setting, but this interpretation by Christina Henry looks really unique, and the cover is fabulous!

Alice by Christina Henry, Publication Date: August 4, 2015

“A mind-bending new novel inspired by the twisted and wondrous works of Lewis Carroll…

In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside. In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t remember why she’s in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood…

Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago. Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful. And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.”

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This next book looks like a fun, middle grade graphic novel that is perfect for upcoming autumn and Hallowe’en. I have wanted to read Emily Carroll’s work since Through the Woods came out last year, but I never got around to it. It doesn’t hurt that Emily is from London, Ontario! I love finding local Ontario authors and artists.

Baba Yaga’s Assistant by Marika McCool & Emily Carroll, Publication Date: August 4, 2015

“Russian folklore icon Baba Yaga mentors a lonely teen in a wry graphic novel that balances gleefully between the modern and the timeless.

Most children think twice before braving a haunted wood filled with terrifying beasties to match wits with a witch, but not Masha. Her beloved grandma taught her many things: that stories are useful, that magic is fickle, that nothing is too difficult or too dirty to clean. The fearsome witch of folklore needs an assistant, and Masha needs an adventure. She may be clever enough to enter Baba Yaga’s house-on-chicken-legs, but within its walls, deceit is the rule. To earn her place, Masha must pass a series of tests, outfox a territorial bear, and make dinner for her host. No easy task, with children on the menu! Spooky and poignant, Marika McCoola’s stunning debut—with richly layered art by acclaimed graphic artist Emily Carroll—is a storytelling feat and a visual feast.”

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I have a thing for Roman, Greek, and Egyptian mythology, and ever since I read E.L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I have loved stories that take place in museums and libraries. Now that I am training to be a librarian, I especially love the idea that fun adventures are to be had in these sorts of places! Reawakened looks like a fascinating tale that weaves Egyptian mythology into a modern-day museum setting.

Reawakened by Colleen Houck, Publication Date: August 11, 2015

“When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification. 
And she really can’t imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe.
 
But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world. 
 
From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.
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Finally, The Uninvited, an eerie read from Cat Winters, came out this month. Cat Winters has been on my radar for the past couple years, but she is one of many authors that have fallen through the cracks. So many books, so little time! I like how she depicts history accurately in her stories, but also incorporates supernatural elements. I am particularly interested in this book because the main character is closer to my age, twenty-five years old, which is a refreshing change from teenagers.

The Uninvited by Cat Winters, Publication Date: August 11, 2015

“Twenty-five year old Ivy Rowan rises from her bed after being struck by the flu, only to discover the world has been torn apart in just a few short days.

But Ivy’s life-long gift—or curse—remains.  For she sees the uninvited ones—ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked, unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918 she sees the spirit of her grandmother, rocking in her mother’s chair. An hour later, she learns her younger brother and father have killed a young German out of retaliation for the death of Ivy’s older brother Billy in the Great War.

Horrified, she leaves home, to discover the flu has caused utter panic and the rules governing society have broken down. Ivy is drawn into this new world of jazz, passion, and freedom, where people live for the day, because they could be stricken by nightfall. But as her ‘uninvited guests’ begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once more, but Ivy has no inkling of the other-worldly revelations about to unfold.”