New books you could love

Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf (released July 1) follows Hollis Sutherland, who doubted her grandfather when he warned her about the omens that would announce the devil’s return: blood trickling from flowers, paintings distorting, birds crashing into windows, and more.

Then Cain Landry came to Hawthorne, South Carolina, and these signs began to manifest. Hollis would have dismissed him as an emissary of the devil. But after dying, resurrecting, and discovering the grave birds that haunt the town’s cemetery and reveal secrets, Hollis began to wonder whether Cain was actually a servant of God working behind the scenes to expose the town’s past sins.

Early reviews have described this Dana Elmendorf novel as ‘cozy horror.’ Despite the macabre aspects detailed in the synopsis, the book’s horror elements are too light to repel individuals who don’t like the genre.

The Secret Market of the Dead by Giovanni De Feo (July 8) is an Italian-inspired gothic fantasy novel set on the border of a mysterious land ruled by seven immortal creatures. Oriana, the protagonist, is a twin.

Her brother Oriano is the favourite child. He does what he wants, when he wants. Meanwhile, the studious Oriana dreams of inheriting her father’s forge. However, her parents and their patriarchal society have other plans. Years later, her father formally selects Oriano to succeed him.

But Oriana won’t take the decision lying down. After a life-changing adventure in which she entered the Secret Market of the Dead, Oriana has come into her own. She will challenge her brother to a series of trials.

If she wins, their father’s forge will pass to her. This book is a mixed bag. Feo’s writing is strongest when he delves into the myths and legends of his setting. In those moments, the novel feels like an alluring fairy tale.

Things only slow down when he switches to the heroine’s ordinary life, which is not nearly as interesting as her fantastical adventures. Curandera by Irenosen Okojie (July 25) follows two different timelines.

Zulmira is a West African shaman who worships a deity called Oni in the 17th century. After participating in a ceremony in which she gave birth to a baby bearing her face, Zulmira flees to a community in Gethsemane, Cape Verde, where her presence unleashes a series of mysterious occurrences.

In 2012 London, Therese is a botanist of Timbuktu descent sharing her home with a Haitian musician, a Peruvian, and an English fellow with Inuit ancestry. Bound by the gifts Oni gave them, the group travels to another realm to complete a secret task, only to find a bleeding ribcage upon their return.

The ribcage bears fruit, which the housemates consume, growing more powerful in the process, a development that sparks bitterness and jealousy. Most reviewers have praised Okojie’s prose. Your reaction to her book will depend on whether or not you enjoy weird and confusing stories.

A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan (July 15) injects magic into WWII. Hitler does not expect to conquer Europe via conventional means. His agents are hunting for magical relics with the power to turn the tide of war. Initially, the Royal Academy of Witches was willing to add its forces to the war effort.

But then a Nazi witch infiltrated the Academy and the heart-breaking consequences compelled Britain’s elder witches to withdraw. After all, why should they bleed for a government that forced them into hiding?

This is Morgan’s debut novel. And yet, the writing is impeccable and the story well-paced. The author injects enough action into the individual chapters to keep audiences reading.

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