The London Séance Society
By: Sarah Penner
Release Date | March 7
Genre | Historical Fiction
Vaudeline D'Allaire is an acclaimed spiritualist, known for conjuring the victims of murder to ascertain their killer. Her talent makes her highly coveted by widows, investigators, and Lenna Wickes.
Lenna has come to Paris for answers surrounding her sister's death. To find them, she must put aside her logic-based biases against the occult and embrace the unknown. Following in Vaudeline's steps as her understudy, Lenna accompanies her to London to solve a high-profile murder. As they team up with the powerful men of the Séance society, Lenna and Vaudeline work to solve the mystery. Soon they realise that they may not only be solving a crime, they might be entangled in one.
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Monstrilio
By: Gerardo Sámano Córdova
Release Date | March 7
Genre | Horror
Grieving the death of her eleven-year-old son and desperately wishing for his return, a heartbroken mother cuts out a piece of her child's lung in hopes that an old folk tale is true and will bring him back to life. Magos nurtures the lung until it gains conscientiousness, slowly growing into her little carnivorous Monstrilio whose existence she keeps hidden within the walls of her family estate.
Soon the monster evolves into something that resembles the Santiago she once knew but his instincts - curbed by care - threaten to destroy a fragile second chance at life. Monstrilio revolves around the heart of great, acceptance, and the extremes of love and loyalty. Monstrilio asks what it is to be human.
Weyward
By: Emilia Hart
Release Date | March 7
Genre | Historical Fiction
There was something about the Weyward women that bonded them tightly to nature, it was an extension of their emotions. An emotion spanning five centuries, three women, and one secret. In 2019, Kate flees an abusive relationship and escapes to Weyward Cottage, a place she inherited from her eccentric entomologist great Aunt, Violet. Whilst there, Kate struggles with her traumatic past and uncovers a secret about the Weyward women: a secret from 1619 when one of her ancestors was accused of witchcraft.
Weyward tackles the centuries of male violence etched into history and the role gender plays in control and reminds us of the power of nature, female strength, and breaking free from history.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez
By: Claire Jiménez
Release Date | March 7
Genre | Fiction
Ever since their thirteen-year-old sibling, Ruthy, disappeared after track practice, the Ramirez family have been scarred. Twelve years later, the oldest sister, Jessica, spots someone on TV who bears resemblance to Ruthy whose beauty mark under her left eye is identical to her sister's. Could this woman with flaming dyed red hair who calls herself Ruby actually be their missing sister?
Ruthy's disappearance hit the family hard. Her mother is still struggling with the loss, Jessica is juggling her hospital job and a newborn baby, and Nina has been forced to work in a lingerie shop after all her med school applications were denied. After seeing maybe-Ruth on screen, Jessica and the youngest sister, Nina, decide to hatch a plan and find their long-lost sibling. And when their mother, Dolores, catches wind of their plan to drive to the next filming location, she insists on joining. What follows is a family road trip riddled with pain from the past but also hope for the future - with or without Ruby in it.
The Memory Eater
By: Rebecca Mahoney
Release Date | March 14
Genre | Fantasy
The monstrous Memory Eater lives in the caves of Whistler Beach, feeding on unhappy memories of those who want to forget and has been controlled by the Harlow family for generations. After her grandmother's passing, Alana Harlow - age seventeen - is now in charge of the family business; it is her duty to ensure the Memory Eater remains locked up and fed.
What Alana doesn't know - remember - is that some of her memories have been eaten and with them gone, she's lost the knowledge on how to keep the monster contained. And without that knowledge, the monster escapes. The missing memories could cost her town everything and Alana must figure out how to retrieve them and return the Memory Eater to its cage. As Alana delves deeper into her family's magic and the history of the surrounding town for a solution, she stumbles upon a shocking secret.
Girl Forgotten
By: April Henry
Release Date | March 28
Genre | Thriller
A House With Good Bones
By: T. Kingfisher
Release Date | March 28
Genre | Horror
What Moves the Dead released in 2022 by T. Kingfisher was one of the best novels I read in 2022 and I am crossing my fingers that A House With Good Bones has similar storytelling and holds its own as a wonderful read. Well, a horrorible read...
"Mum seems off." A simple statement by her brother that has her returning to the quiet street in North Carolina her mother lives on. She ignores her brother's words as she ascends the stairs, eager to have an extended stay with her mother where the two of them can drink boxed wine and binge on murder mystery shows.
But upon entering the home, she is shocked by the disappearance of the warm and cluttered charm she had grown accustomed too. Instead, the walls are stark white, her mum jumps at any small noise, she won't stop looking over her shoulder despite being the only one in the room, and when Sam steps out to clear her head, she finds a hidden jar of teeth and vultures circling above. Sam is determined to find out what has frightened her mother but, some secrets are better left buried.
Into the Light
By: Mark Oshiro
Release Date | March 28
Genre | Young Adult
Having been kicked out of his family a year ago, Manny has been surviving in the American Southwest wilderness following self-appointed rules to keep himself alive and moving. It is why when he decides to work with the Varela family and their cute son, Carlos, he is taking a chance, a chance that seems to offer the hope of a new future.
Eli lives with his family in a secluded community and abides by the rules they set forth. He has been raised to believe obedience will be rewarded but Eli's faith in the Reconciliation is wavering, he still can't remember his past. When an unidentified body is reported in the Californian hills, the news will cause both of them to face their fears, confront their identify, and most importantly - find out who they are allowed to be.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
By: Colleen Oakley
Release Date | March 28
Genre | Mystery
Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. A place where she can continue playing video games nineteen hours a day. Her options are limited and when one falls into her lap as an offer to be a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman, she takes it.
One slip was all it took for her daughter to demand she have a caretaker. It doesn't matter that Louise can walk fine, always finishes the daily crossword, and can still throw back the two fingers of vodka she drinks daily with ease - her reluctance to have a caretaker is greater than Tanner's reluctance to be one.
The arrangement between then starts as roommates: Two individuals who ignore each other, that is until Tanner begins to notice Louise's habits. Why is her garden shed locked up tight? Why is the local news fixated on a major jewellery heist whose main suspect eerily looks like Louise? And more importantly, why does Louise appear in the middle of the night in her room with a bag packed and demanding they leave immediately. Thus begins the story of two women outrunning the mistakes of their past which, if they can do so successfully, could lead to the greatest adventure of their lives.
The New One
By: Evie Green
Release Date | March 28
Genre | Science Fiction
Life for Tamsyn and Ed is tough. Their jobs require long hours with very little pay and when they return from their exhausting day, they are greeted by their moody and rebellious daughter, Scarlett. After a tragic accident puts Scarlett into a coma, one doctors inform them she is highly unlikely to wake up from, Tasyn and Ed are out of options - until a lifeline emerges.
In exchange for providing Scarlett with the best care possible, they can opt into an unusual medical trial - fully funded - where they must move to Switzerland and accept an artificial copy of their daughter into their new home. And upon her arrival, their lives are transformed. The AI version of their daughter, Sophie, is like having their real daughter back except with the bad parts. Unlike Scarlett, Sophie is happy and actually wants to spend time with them.
Then things take a turn when Scarlett wakes and makes a very real recovery. Now Tamsyn and Ed have to face the reality that those controlling the experiment have darker intentions than they ever could have imagined.
From this list, what are you most excited to read this March?
I cannot wait for A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher as I just know it is going to give me delightful goosebumps and I am eager for The New One because I love a dystopian. Hats off to another wonderful month of reading and I hope you join me on that journey!