There are two new books we have our eye on this week. One of them has a cool trailer too.
The Witch Owl Parliament (Clockwork Curandera) by David Bowles illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez III
Tu Books
When apprentice shaman Cristina Franco is killed by witch owls, her brother Enrique brings her back to life with alchemy and engineering. Now partly mechanical, she vows to protect the Republic of Santander against the supernatural attacks rocking the country––even though her very existence is an abomination to its citizens.
But to do so requires the green magic Cristina has trained to wield. Will she still have access to that vital power now that her body and soul have been forever altered? Can it be used to fight as well as heal? When groups of refugees and indigenous people begin to disappear, Cristina has to set her doubts aside and embrace her new destiny.
In the first volume of the Clockwork Curandera trilogy, Mexican American creatives David Bowles and Raúl the Third combine their unique talents and vision to craft a compelling new world in which Mesoamerican magic and steampunk technology co-exist, sometimes manipulated by the rich and powerful for nefarious ends. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads
Hunting by Stars (The Marrow Thieves #2) by Cherie Dimaline
Amulet Books
Years ago, when plagues and natural disasters killed millions of people, much of the world stopped dreaming. Without dreams, people are haunted, sick, mad, unable to rebuild. The government soon finds that the Indigenous people of North America have retained their dreams, an ability rumored to be housed in the very marrow of their bones. Soon, residential schools pop up—or are re-opened—across the land to bring in the dreamers and harvest their dreams.
Seventeen-year-old French lost his family to these schools and has spent the years since heading north with his new found family: a group of other dreamers, who, like him, are trying to build and thrive as a community. But then French wakes up in a pitch-black room, locked in and alone for the first time in years, and he knows immediately where he is—and what it will take to escape.
Meanwhile, out in the world, his found family searches for him and dodges new dangers—school Recruiters, a blood cult, even the land itself. When their paths finally collide, French must decide how far he is willing to go—and how many loved ones is he willing to betray—in order to survive. This engrossing, action-packed, deftly-drawn novel expands on the world of Cherie Dimaline’s award-winning The Marrow Thieves, and it will haunt readers long after they’ve turned the final page. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads