12 new SFF books to help beat back the January blues

Scavenge the Stars – Tara Sim

A gender-swapped take on The Count of Monte Cristo, Tara Sim’s Scavenge the Stars is an action-packed tale full of revenge, devious plans, gritty casinos and more.

It follows the story of Amaya, a prisoner aboard a debt collector’s ship who defies the captain’s orders to rescue a man from drowning. In return, said man offers her a unique opportunity – and more wealth than she can begin to imagine – if she’ll help him get revenge on a merchant in the city of Moray.

To do so, Amaya will have to undergo both a makeover and some serious training – to both learn how to behave like a proper lady, as well as how to manipulate and con others. This is all to the good though, since she’s also got her own revenge plans to fulfill, and a mission to bring down the man who ruined her family.

The official synopsis describes the story as follows.

"When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…"

Scavenge the Stars is available on January 7.