Top 10 Most Anticipated Releases of Spring 2020

Hey everyone!

Despite the fact that we are leaving my favorite season behind, I’m still excited to be heading into Spring. There are so many great books coming out over the next few months that I’m really looking forward to! I’ve not only been doing a ton of reading this year already, but I’ve also really be keeping up with new releases/new purchases as well, so I’m hoping to get to a lot of these read pretty soon after they come out! Anyway, enough of the rambles. Here are just a few of the books that I am most excited to get my hands on this season!

Looking Glass by Christina Henry (April 21^st, 2020)

In four new novellas, Christina Henry returns to the universe she created for Alice and Red Queen, where magic runs more freely than anyone suspects, but so do secrets and blood.

Lovely Creature
In the New City lives a girl called Elizabeth, a girl who has a secret: she can do magic. But someone knows Elizabeth’s secret–someone who has a secret of his own. That secret is a butterfly that lives in a jar, a butterfly made by a girl called Alice.

Girl in Amber
Alice and Hatcher are just looking for a place to rest. Alice has been dreaming of a cottage by a lake and a field of wildflowers, but while walking blind in a snowstorm they stumble into a castle that seems empty and abandoned…at least until nightfall.

When I First Came to Town
Hatcher wasn’t always Hatcher. Once, he was a boy called Nicholas, and Nicholas fancied himself the best fighter in the Old City. No matter who fought him he always won. Then his boss tells him he’s going to battle the fearsome Grinder, a man who never leaves his opponents alive.

The Mercy Seat
Alice has a secret–a secret that not even Hatcher knows yet, but pretty soon she won’t be able to keep it from him.

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran (April 23^rd, 2020)

When idealistic teenage queen Lia inherits her corrupt uncle’s bankrupt kingdom, she brings a new spymaster into the fold… Xania, who takes the job to avenge her murdered father.

As the two grow closer, they’re quick to learn that all isn’t fair in love and treason.

They must decide not only what to sacrifice for duty, but also for each other…

Forged in Fire and Stars by Andrea Robertson (May 5^th, 2020)

Ara has always known about the legend of the Loresmith: the blacksmith who served alongside the kings and queens of every generation to protect the kingdom. It was her fate to inherit the title–though she never truly believed it would come to pass since the monarchy’s downfall years before.

But when the lost Princess Nimhea and Prince Eamon steal Ara from her quiet life with a mission to retake the throne–and take her place as the Loresmith–her whole world turns upside down. Their journey will take Ara on a dangerous adventure to discover new truths about her family’s legacy, and even to face the gods themselves. And with a mysterious thief as an unexpected companion, Ara must use all her skills to figure out just who she can trust, and forge the right path forward–for herself, her kingdom, and her heart.

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn (May 5^th, 2020)

Camille, a revolutionary’s daughter, leads a band of outcasts – a runaway girl, a deserter, an aristocrat in hiding. As the Battalion des Mortes they cheat death, saving those about to meet a bloody end at the blade of Madame La Guillotine. But their latest rescue is not what she seems. The girl’s no aristocrat, but her dark and disturbing powers means both the Royalists and the Revolutionaries want her. But who and what is she?

In these dangerous days, no one can be trusted, everyone is to be feared. As Camille learns the truth, she’s forced to choose between loyalty to those she loves and the future.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (May 12^th, 2020)

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (May 19^th, 2020)

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined – every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

Burn by Patrick Ness (June 2^nd, 2020)

Sarah Dewhurst and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to.

The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye, though. Sarah can’t help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn’t have a soul, but who is seemingly intent on keeping her safe.

Because the dragon knows something she doesn’t. He has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit—and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant (June 2^nd, 2020)

In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina’s life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father’s fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger–the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh–Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice–protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.

Hood by Jenny Elder Moke (June 9^th, 2020)

Isabelle of Kirklees has only ever known a quiet life inside the sheltered walls of the convent, where she lives with her mother, Marien. But after she is arrested by royal soldiers for defending innocent villagers, Isabelle becomes the target of the Wolf, King John’s ruthless right hand. Desperate to keep her daughter safe, Marien helps Isabelle escape and sends her on a mission to find the one person who can help: Isabelle’s father, Robin Hood.

As Isabelle races to stay out of the Wolf’s clutches and find the father she’s never known, she is thrust into a world of thieves and mercenaries, handsome young outlaws, new enemies with old grudges, and a king who wants her entire family dead. As she joins forces with Robin and his Merry Men in a final battle against the Wolf, will Isabelle find the strength to defy the crown and save the lives of everyone she holds dear?

The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell (June 16^th, 2020)

Twins Rosie and Ivory have grown up at their ringmaster mother’s knee, and after years on the road, they’re returning to Port End, the closest place to home they know. Yet something has changed in the bustling city: fundamentalist flyers paper the walls and preachers fill the squares, warning of shadows falling over the land. The circus prepares a triumphant homecoming show, full of lights and spectacle that could chase away even the darkest shadow. But during Rosie’s tightrope act, disaster strikes.

In this lush, sensuous novel interwoven with themes of social justice and found family, it’s up to Ivory and her magician love—with the help of a dancing bear—to track down an evil priest and save their circus family before it’s too late.

What new releases are you guys looking forward to these next few months? Let me know in the comments!

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Top 10 Most Anticipated Releases of Fall 2019

Hey everyone!

I’m already getting the Fall feels! 😀 I absolutely can’t wait for the cool weather to begin. Snuggly sweaters, changing leaves, pumpkin spice (yes, a little cliché, but I’m an addict!), and getting cuddled up with a good book. And there are so many great books coming out over the next few months and I am so pumped! A bunch of my most anticipated releases of the year are coming out during the fall and winter months so I absolutely cannot wait! Anyway, enough of the rambles. Here are just a few of the books that I am most excited to get my hands on this season!

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones (September 24^th, 2019)

Seventeen-year-old Aderyn (“Ryn”) only cares about two things: her family, and her family’s graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don’t always stay dead.

The risen corpses are known as “bone houses,” and legend says that they’re the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it about Ellis that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?

Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them deep into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the long-hidden truths about themselves. 

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht (September 24^th, 2019)

Debut author Jennifer Giesbrecht paints a darkly compelling fantasy of revenge in The Monster of Elendhaven, a dark fantasy about murder, a monster, and the magician who love both.

The city of Elendhaven sulks on the edge of the ocean. Wracked by plague, abandoned by the South, stripped of industry and left to die. But not everything dies so easily. A thing without a name stalks the city, a thing shaped like a man, with a dark heart and long pale fingers yearning to wrap around throats. A monster who cannot die. His frail master sends him out on errands, twisting him with magic, crafting a plan too cruel to name, while the monster’s heart grows fonder and colder and more cunning.

These monsters of Elendhaven will have their revenge on everyone who wronged the city, even if they have to burn the world to do it.

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (October 1^st, 2019)

In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren’t finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing– a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil’s Bible. The text of the Devil’s Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell….and Earth.

Thirteen Doors, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby (October 1^st, 2019)

When Frankie’s mother died and her father left her and her siblings at an orphanage in Chicago, it was supposed to be only temporary—just long enough for him to get back on his feet and be able to provide for them once again. That’s why Frankie’s not prepared for the day that he arrives for his weekend visit with a new woman on his arm and out-of-state train tickets in his pocket.

Now Frankie and her sister, Toni, are abandoned alongside so many other orphans—two young, unwanted women doing everything they can to survive.

And as the embers of the Great Depression are kindled into the fires of World War II, and the shadows of injustice, poverty, and death walk the streets in broad daylight, it will be up to Frankie to find something worth holding on to in the ruins of this shattered America—every minute of every day spent wondering if the life she’s able to carve out will be enough.

I will admit I do not know the answer. But I will be watching, waiting to find out. 

That’s what ghosts do.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (October 8^th, 2019)

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo (October 8^th, 2019)

The streets of Creije are for the deadly and the dreamers, and four crooks in particular know just how much magic they need up their sleeve to survive.

Tavia, a busker ready to pack up her dark-magic wares and turn her back on Creije for good. She’ll do anything to put her crimes behind her.

Wesley, the closest thing Creije has to a gangster. After growing up on streets hungry enough to swallow the weak whole, he won’t stop until he has brought the entire realm to kneel before him.

Karam, a warrior who spends her days watching over the city’s worst criminals and her nights in the fighting rings, making a deadly name for herself.

And Saxony, a resistance fighter hiding from the very people who destroyed her family, and willing to do whatever it takes to get her revenge.

Everything in their lives is going to plan, until Tavia makes a crucial mistake: she delivers a vial of dark magic—a weapon she didn’t know she had—to someone she cares about, sparking the greatest conflict in decades. Now these four magical outsiders must come together to save their home and the world, before it’s too late. But with enemies at all sides, they can trust nobody. Least of all each other.

The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco (October 15^th, 2019)

Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun.

While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal.

But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.

Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland (October 29^th, 2019)

Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn’t listen …

Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people’s souls while they sleep.

But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. It follows her into every soul, and her mother has told her to never, ever open it.

When Kamai touches the door, it is warm and beating, like it has a pulse. When she puts her ear to it, she hears her own name whispered from the other side. And when tragedy strikes, Kamai does the unthinkable: she opens the door.

A.M. Strickland’s imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai’s own soul, but the entire kingdom …

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (November 5^th, 2019)

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world–a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues–a bee, a key, and a sword–that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library, hidden far below the surface of the earth.

What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians–it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also those who are intent on its destruction.

Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly-soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose–in both the mysterious book and in his own life. 

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw (November 5^th, 2019)

From New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance perfect for fans of Practical Magic, where dark fairy tales and enchanted folklore collide after a boy, believed to be missing, emerges from the magical woods—and falls in love with the witch determined to unravel his secrets.

Be careful of the dark, dark wood…

Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.

But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.

For as long as there have been fairy tales, we have been warned to fear what lies within the dark, dark woods and in Winterwood, New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, shows us why.

What new releases are you guys looking forward to these next few months? Let me know in the comments!

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Down the TBR Hole #8

This was created by Lia from Lost in a Story. I’m going to attempt to do this post every week as the rules say, but since I have such a massive TBR, I’m going to be picking out 20 books instead of 10. So, let’s see how this goes!

The Rules:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.

Order on ascending date added.

Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books

Read the synopses of the books

Decide: keep it or should it go?

Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week!

Current “To Read” Shelf: 1957

____________________________________________________________

Send by Patty Blount

I’m dropping this one off my TBR solely for personal reasons. This is the type of novel that I would have picked up in my mid or late teens, but I feel I’ve grown out of that phase. I also am trying to cut down on some of the books on my TBR that I know I’m not currently in the right emotional place to read.

Judgment: GO

King of the Screwups by K.L. Going

This book has been sitting on my TBR for so long now and I forget how I even found it in the first place. I think this might have been one that I discovered on one of my random expeditions through the library. Anyway, though it still sounds very good, I don’t think I am actually going to get around to it at this point. And, as I need to be a bit stricter with my TBR, it has to go.

Judgment: GO

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

I tried really hard with this series since Divergent is one of my favorite young adult dystopians of all time. But I just could not get past the halfway mark in Insurgent and, though I hate leaving series unfinished, I just don’t think I’m going to get myself to read the rest of it.

Judgment: GO

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

I’ll definitely be keeping this one. This is a book my mom got me because we are both into these types of novels. I’m always looking for some good young adult horror novels and though I’ve heard mix things about this one, I’m still very interested in reading it.

Judgment: KEEP

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

I am tentatively keeping this one on my list for now. I have given this novel a try once because I am constantly hearing such wonderful things about it. However, I just could not get into it and had to put it aside. I hate leaving books unfinished and I do think I was in the wrong mood for it at the time, so I am going to give it another try at some point.

Judgment: KEEP

Letting Ana Go by Anonymous

As I said earlier, I am trying to cut down on some of the books on my TBR that I know I’m not currently in the right emotional place to read. I think this is one of them at the moment. I do own it so I’ll hang on to my copy for a little bit, but for now it’s going off my TBR.

Judgment: GO

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley

Once again, not in the right emotional place to read this. This is another one I might consider again somewhere down the road. It still sounds like a great novel and I am definitely interested in it. But, to be honest, I don’t feel I’m up to it right now.

Judgment: GO

The Book of David by Anonymous

Sorry to become repetitive, but the same thoughts from the previous two apply to this one as well. This is one I’m slightly more undecided on because I am still extremely interested in it, so the verdict might change. For now, though, I’ll be taking it off my TBR.

Judgment: GO

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

This one’s a definite keeper! I saw the movie back when it first came out and absolutely adored it and I was extremely excited when I found out it was actually a book. I’ve been slow getting around to it but yes, I do still plan on reading this one!

Judgment: KEEP

Where the Moon Isn’t by Nathan Filer

This was a tough one to decide on. I remember how eager I was to read this book when I first discovered it. However, it’s another one that I let sit on my TBR for ages and now I’ve lost a lot of that excitement. It does still sound like a wonderful novel, but I think I may have passed that window of interest for me. I feel like I’m just not going to get around to it.

Judgment: GO

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Okay, so any of you who know me and my book preferences are probably wonder just what the heck this is doing on my TBR. I shall explain! Well…basically this was one of the few times I gave in to hype. I was hearing so much about this series and it seemed like it would be a short read so I figured, why not? But now I am older and wiser…and this is a definite nope.

Judgment: GO

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

So the reason this is on my TBR is pretty much the same story as the previous one—I gave into the hype. I figured I should read a Colleen Hoover novel at least once just to see what I think and this one is one of the most interesting sounding ones to me. And (just to make things confusing) I do still plan to do that! However, right now, this is not something I am eager to read. So, even though it is leaving my TBR for now, I will hold onto it and it may return.

Judgment: GO

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I am definitely keeping this one. I have been hearing so many incredible things about this novel and it sounds like such a heartbreaking but beautiful read. This is exactly my favorite type of historical fiction. I am really hoping I can pick this one up sometime this year.

Judgment: KEEP

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Keep! Once again, I’ve been slow getting around to it but I am so insanely excited to read this series! Even though I haven’t begun it yet, I already own all the books! 😛

Judgment: KEEP

Eon by Alison Goodman

I’m a bit unsure what to do about this one. It was another discovery from years ago and it does still sound fairly interesting. But, as I’m being strict when it comes to cutting down my TBR, I think this will have to go for now. I may return to it one day, but it’s not something I see myself picking up in the near future.

Judgment: GO

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

I’ll be honest, I thought for sure this would be one I’d take off my TBR. This has been on there for a while and it is another one of those young adult novels that I chose during a very different phase of my reading life. However, this story still sounds really lovely and heartwarming and I do honestly think I will enjoy it. I definitely still feel very motivated to read it.

Judgment: KEEP

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

This was another hype one. Historical fiction is definitely a genre I love—romance is always iffy. At the time I discovered this, I was definitely game to give this one a try. However, it’s been quite a long time now and I just don’t see myself getting around to it. I’m not sure it’s still my type of story.

Judgment: GO

Intangible by Jen Meyers

This is an old one from my Kindle that I’m not too sure about anymore. I think its another one from a phase that I’ve outgrown and I don’t know if I would get nearly as much enjoyment out of it now. The motivation to read it is unfortunately not really there.

Judgment: GO

100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith

I have been meaning to read a novel by Andrew Smith for quite a while now and I have a few on my TBR. They all still sound interesting to me and like books I will be picking up somewhat soon, so anything by him is staying for sure.

Judgment: KEEP

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

For a long time now I’ve been wanting to read a Marcus Sedgwick novel, but I’ve been a bit indecisive about which one to choose. This one sounded pretty good at the time so I figured I would go with it, but now I’m not certain how I feel about it. For now, I’ll be removing this one but I do hope to find another novel by him to read sometime soon.

Judgment: GO

Getting Rid Of: 13/20

TBR Total: 1944

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Top 10 Most Anticipated Releases of Summer 2019

Hey everyone!

I can’t believe it’s almost summer already and we’ll be going into the second half of 2019! Just like with my last seasonal post, I have changed from “top five” to “top ten” because there are way too many amazing releases coming out this summer. This was difficult to narrow down, but I have finally picked out the ten books that I am most excited to get my hands on over the next few months!

Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo (July 2^nd, 2019)

When a tragic accident takes the life of seventeen-year-old Raven Roth’s foster mom–and Raven’s memory–she moves to New Orleans to live with her foster mother’s family and finish her senior year of high school.

Starting over isn’t easy. Raven remembers how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can’t remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. When strange things start happening–impossible things–Raven starts to think it might be better not to know who she was in her previous life.

But as she grows closer to her foster sister, Max, her new friends, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she’s ready to face what’s buried in the past…and the darkness building inside her.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Beautiful Creatures Kami Garcia, and artist Gabriel Picolo, comes this first graphic novel in the Teen Titans series for DC Ink, Teen Titans: Raven.

The Lightest Object in the Universe by Kimi Eisele (July 9^th, 2019)

If the grid went down, how would you find someone on the other side of the country? How would you find hope?

After a global economic collapse and failure of the electrical grid, amid escalating chaos, Carson, a high school teacher of history who sees history bearing out its lessons all around him, heads west on foot toward Beatrix, a woman he met and fell hard for during a chance visit to his school. Working his way along a cross-country railroad line, he encounters lost souls, clever opportunists, and those who believe they’ll be delivered from hardship if they can find their way to the evangelical preacher Jonathan Blue, who is broadcasting on all the airwaves countrywide. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Beatrix and her neighbors turn to one another for food, water, and solace, and begin to construct the kind of cooperative community that suggests the end could, in fact, be a promising beginning.

But between Beatrix and Carson lie 3,000 miles. With no internet or phone or postal service, can they find their way back to each other, and what will be left of their world when they do? The answers may lie with fifteen-year-old Rosie Santos, who travels reluctantly with her grandmother to Jonathan Blue, finding her voice and making choices that could ultimately decide the fate of the cross-country lovers.

The Lightest Object in the Universe is a story about reliance and adaptation, a testament to the power of community and a chronicle of moving on after catastrophic loss, illustrating that even in the worst of times, our best traits, borne of necessity, can begin to emerge.

Changeling by William Ritter (July 16^th, 2019)

Magic is fading from the Wild Wood. To renew it, goblins must perform an ancient ritual involving the rarest of their kind—a newborn changeling. But when the fateful night arrives to trade a human baby for a goblin one, something goes terribly wrong. After laying the changeling in a human infant’s crib, the goblin Kull is briefly distracted from his task. By the time he turns back, the changeling has already perfectly mimicked the human child. Too perfectly: Kull cannot tell them apart. Not knowing which to bring back, he leaves both babies behind.

Tinn and Cole are raised as human twins, neither knowing what secrets may be buried deep inside one of them. Then when they are twelve years old, a mysterious message arrives, calling the brothers to be heroes and protectors of magic. The boys must leave behind their sleepy town of Endsborough and risk their lives in the Wild Wood, crossing the perilous Oddmire swamp and journeying through the Deep Dark to reach the goblin horde and discover who they truly are.

The Doctor by Lisa Stone (July 25^th, 2019)

How much do you know about the couple next door? 

When Emily and Ben move in next door to Dr Burman and his wife Anita, they are keen to get to know their new neighbours. Outgoing and sociable, Emily tries to befriend the doctor’s wife, but Anita is strangely subdued, barely leaving the house, and terrified of answering the phone. 

When Emily goes missing a few weeks later, Ben is plunged into a panic. His wife has left him a note, but can she really have abandoned him for another man? Or has Emily’s curiosity about the couple next door led her straight into danger? 

A gripping, sinister thriller with a twist you won’t see coming from the international bestseller Lisa Stone.

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells (July 30^th, 2019)

Raised among the ruins of a conquered mountain nation, Maren dreams only of sharing a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia—until the day Kaia is abducted by the Aurati, prophetic agents of the emperor, and forced to join their ranks. Desperate to save her, Maren hatches a plan to steal one of the emperor’s coveted dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold.

If Maren is to have any hope of succeeding, she must become an apprentice to the Aromatory—the emperor’s mysterious dragon trainer. But Maren is unprepared for the dangerous secrets she uncovers: rumors of a lost prince, a brewing rebellion, and a prophecy that threatens to shatter the empire itself. Not to mention the strange dreams she’s been having about a beast deep underground…

With time running out, can Maren survive long enough to rescue Kaia from impending death? Or could it be that Maren is destined for something greater than she could have ever imagined?

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig (August 6^th, 2019)

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

The Whisper Man by Alex North (August 20^th, 2019)

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of suspense, as a father and son are caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed “The Whisper Man,” for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter’s crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window…

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool (September 3^rd, 2019)

The Age of Darkness approaches.
Five lives stand in its way.
Who will stop it… or unleash it? 

For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations―until the day, one hundred years ago, when the Prophets disappeared.

All they left behind was one final, secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. As chaos takes hold, five souls are set on a collision course:

A prince exiled from his kingdom.
A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand.
A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart.
A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone.
And a dying girl on the verge of giving up.

One of them―or all of them―could break the world. Will they be savior or destroyer? Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Children of Blood and Bone, and An Ember in the Ashes.

All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey (September 3^rd, 2019)

Red’s inexplicable power over the wind comes from her mother. Whenever Ruby “Red” Byrd is scared or angry, the wind picks up. And being placed in foster care, moving from family to family, tends to keep the skies stormy. Red knows she has to learn how to control it, but can’t figure out how.

This time, the wind blows Red into the home of the Grooves, a quirky couple who run a petting zoo, complete with a dancing donkey and a giant tortoise. With their own curious gifts, Celine and Jackson Groove seem to fit like a puzzle piece into Red’s heart.

But just when Red starts to settle into her new life, a fresh storm rolls in, one she knows all too well: her mother. For so long, Red has longed to have her mom back in her life, and she’s quickly swept up in the vortex of her mother’s chaos. Now Red must decide the possible from the impossible if she wants to overcome her own tornadoes and find the family she needs.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (September 5^th, 2019)

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

What upcoming releases are you guys looking forward to? Are we excited about any of the same books? Let me know in the comments!

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Top 10 Tuesday – May 21st, 2019

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish, and it is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books that you refuse to let anyone touch. I have to admit I can get a little weird about my books. I run into this issue where the book lover in me wants to recommend and lend out books to the people in my life while the book collector (*cough* hoarder *cough*) in me is terrified to! I absolutely love sharing books but I am also totally obsessive about keeping all of them in great shape. Thankfully, nearly all of my friends and family are book lovers and many of them feel the same way that I do, so I can be sure that they’ll take good care of them!

However, there are definitely a few books that I refuse to let anyone touch! A number of them are series, not just one book, but that totally counts, right? I’ll try to use pictures I’ve taken over the years of my actual copies of the books where I can.

Circe by Madeline Miller

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Sherlock Holmes series

My collection of Christina Henry novels

The Wayward Children series

The Illuminae Files

The Lunar Chronicles

Leather bound Doctor Who book

Victoria Schwab hardcovers

My collection of Robin Hobb novels

How do you guys feel about lending out your books? What books do you own that you won’t let anyone else touch? Let me know in the comments!

Top 10 Most Anticipated Releases of Spring 2019

Happy April, everyone, and happy spring as well!

I hope you’ve all been having a great start to the season! There are so many novels coming out over the next few months that sound absolutely fantastic. So many, in fact, that I had to break from my usual tradition of picking my top five most anticipated releases and raise it to a top 10! So here is a list of all the books I am incredibly eager to get my hands on this spring!

The Dream Peddler by Martine Fournier Watson (April 9^th, 2019)

A page-turning debut novel about a traveling salesman who arrives to sell dreams to a town rocked by a child’s disappearance—both a thoughtful mediation on grief and a magical exploration of our innermost desires

The dream peddler came to town at the white end of winter, before the thaw . . .

Traveling salesmen like Robert Owens have passed through Evie Dawson’s town before, but none of them offered anything like what he has to sell: dreams, made to order, with satisfaction guaranteed.

Soon after he arrives, the community is shocked by the disappearance of Evie’s young son. The townspeople, shaken by the Dawson family’s tragedy and captivated by Robert’s subversive magic, begin to experiment with his dreams. And Evie, devastated by grief, turns to Robert for a comfort only he can sell her. But the dream peddler’s wares awaken in his customers their most carefully buried desires, and despite all his good intentions, some of them will lead to disaster.

Gorgeously told through the eyes of Evie, Robert, and a broad cast of fully realized characters, The Dream Peddler is an imaginative, moving novel of overcoming loss and reckoning with the longings we keep secret.

The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey (April 16^th, 2019)

1833. After young Lord James Ellerby witnesses a near-fatal carriage accident on the outskirts of his estate, he doesn’t think twice about bringing the young woman injured in the wreck to his family’s manor to recuperate. But then she finally regains consciousness only to find that she has no memory of who she is or where she belongs.

Beth, as she takes to calling herself, is an enigma even to herself. She has the rough hands of a servant, but the bearing and apparent education of a lady. Her only clue to her identity is a gruesome recurring nightmare about a hummingbird dripping blood from its steel beak.

With the help of James and his sister, Caroline, Beth slowly begins to unravel the mystery behind her identity and the sinister circumstances that brought her to their door. But the dangerous secrets they discover in doing so could have deadly ramifications reaching the highest tiers of London society.

Starworld by Audrey Coulthurst and Paula Garner (April 16^th, 2019)

Sam Jones and Zoe Miller have one thing in common: they both want an escape from reality. Loner Sam flies under the radar at school and walks on eggshells at home to manage her mom’s obsessive-compulsive disorder, wondering how she can ever leave to pursue her dream of studying aerospace engineering.

Popular, people-pleasing Zoe puts up walls so no one can see her true self: the girl who was abandoned as an infant, whose adoptive mother has cancer, and whose disabled brother is being sent away to live in a facility. 

When an unexpected encounter results in the girls’ exchanging phone numbers, they forge a connection through text messages that expands into a private universe they call Starworld. In Starworld, they find hilarious adventures, kindness and understanding, and the magic of being seen for who they really are. But when Sam’s feelings for Zoe turn into something more, will the universe they’ve built survive the inevitable explosion?

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire (May 7^th, 2019)

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

Time Sight by Lynne Jonell (May 14^th, 2019)

Castles, battles, the ancient Scottish Highlands, and a boy who is determined to bring everyone safely home combine in this absorbing middle grade time-travel adventure.

Will’s mother is in danger overseas, and his father must find her, so Will and his little brother are packed off to relatives in Scotland. Will feels useless. He can’t save his mother. He can’t help his father. And when he tries to amuse his brother on the plane ride, he can’t even locate the images in Jamie’s book–the hidden pictures that everyone else can see. Once at the family’s ancestral castle, though, Will tries again. And as he delicately adjusts his focus, suddenly his eyes tune in to a different visual frequency—the past.

Looking back five hundred years is interesting . . . at first. But when Jamie impulsively leaps through the opening in time, Will and his cousin Nan must follow, into a past so dangerous that Will isn’t sure how he will get everyone safely home.

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad (May 14^th, 2019)

Azad’s debut YA fantasy is set in a city along the Silk Road that is a refuge for those of all faiths, where a young woman is threatened by the war between two clans of powerful djinn.

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population—except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar. 

But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom, ways that scare even those who love her. Oud in hand, Fatima is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of Zulfikar and the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield.

Nafiza Azad weaves an immersive tale of magic and the importance of names; fiercely independent women; and, perhaps most importantly, the work for harmony within a city of a thousand cultures and cadences.

Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron (May 16^th, 2019)

Brody Fair feels like nobody gets him: not his overworked parents, not his genius older brother, and definitely not the girls in the projects set on making his life miserable. Then he meets Nico, an art student who takes Brody to Everland, a “knock-off Narnia” that opens its door at 11:21pm each Thursday for Nico and his band of present-day misfits and miscreants.

Here Brody finds his tribe and a weekly respite from a world where he feels out of place. But when the doors to Everland begin to disappear, Brody is forced to make a decision: He can say goodbye to Everland and to Nico, or stay there and risk never seeing his family again.

An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass (May 21^st, 2019)

In Cantagna, being a sorcerer is a death sentence.

Romy escapes her hardscrabble upbringing when she becomes courtesan to the Shadow Lord, a revolutionary noble who brings laws and comforts once reserved for the wealthy to all. When her brother, Neri, is caught thieving with the aid of magic, Romy’s aristocratic influence is the only thing that can spare his life—and the price is her banishment.

Now back in Beggar’s Ring, she has just her wits and her own long-hidden sorcery to help her and Neri survive. But when a plot to overthrow the Shadow Lord and incite civil war is uncovered, only Romy knows how to stop it. To do so, she’ll have to rely on newfound allies—a swordmaster, a silversmith, and her own thieving brother. And they’ll need the very thing that could condemn them all: magic.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (June 4^th, 2019)

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry (June 18^th, 2019)

From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a postapocalyptic take on the perennial classic “Little Red Riding Hood”…about a woman who isn’t as defenseless as she seems.

It’s not safe for anyone alone in the woods. There are predators that come out at night: critters and coyotes, snakes and wolves. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that doesn’t look anything like the one she grew up in, the one that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago.

There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Sometimes, there are men. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there’s something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined.

Red doesn’t like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn’t about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods…

Are you looking forward to any of these books? What are your most anticipated releases this spring? Let me know in the comments!

Top 10 Tuesday – January 29th, 2019

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish, and it is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten most recent additions to my to-read list. Instead of just literally listing the last ten additions, I’m going to be listing the ones I am most excited for out of my many recent additions. And believe me, there are MANY new additions…I may or may not have gone on a few book adding sprees on Goodreads lately…And yes there will be a new Down the TBR Hole and possibly an unhaul post coming soon so I can sort out my life! 😛

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

It’s not safe for anyone alone in the woods. There are predators that come out at night: critters and coyotes, snakes and wolves. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that doesn’t look anything like the one she grew up in, the one that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago.

There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Sometimes, there are men. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there’s something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined.

Red doesn’t like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn’t about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods….

The Humans by Matt Haig

After an ‘incident’ one wet Friday night where Professor Andrew Martin is found walking naked through the streets of Cambridge, he is not feeling quite himself. Food sickens him. Clothes confound him. Even his loving wife and teenage son are repulsive to him. He feels lost amongst a crazy alien species and hates everyone on the planet. Everyone, that is, except Newton, and he’s a dog.

Who is he really? And what could make someone change their mind about the human race…?

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

ELANTRIS WAS A PLACE OF GLORY

The capital of Arelon, the home to people transformed into magic-using demigods by the Shaod.

But then the magic failed, Elantris started to rot, and its inhabitants turned into powerless wrecks.

And in the new capital, Kae, close enough to Elantris for everyone to be reminded of what they have lost, a princess arrives. Sarene is to be married to unite Teod and Arelon against the religious imperialists of Fjordell. But she is told that Raoden, her husband to be, is dead.

Determined to carry on the fight for Teod and Arelon’s freedom, Sarene clashes with the high priest Hrathen. If Hrathen can persuade the populace to convert, Fjordell will reign supreme.

But there are secrets in Elantris, the dead and the ruined may yet have a role to play in this new world. Magic lives.

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Seventeen-year-old Aderyn (“Ryn”) only cares about two things: her family, and her family’s graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don’t always stay dead.

The risen corpses are known as “bone houses,” and legend says that they’re the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it about Ellis that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?

Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them deep into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the long-hidden truths about themselves. Equal parts classic horror novel and original fairy-tale, The Bone Houses will have you spellbound from the very first page.

The Disasters by M.K. England

Hotshot pilot Nax Hall has a history of making poor life choices. So it’s not exactly a surprise when he’s kicked out of the elite Ellis Station Academy in less than twenty-four hours.

But Nax’s one-way trip back to Earth is cut short when a terrorist group attacks the Academy. Nax and three other washouts escape—barely—but they’re also the sole witnesses to the biggest crime in the history of space colonization. And the perfect scapegoats.

On the run and framed for atrocities they didn’t commit, Nax and his fellow failures execute a dangerous heist to spread the truth about what happened at the Academy.

They may not be “Academy material,” and they may not get along, but they’re the only ones left to step up and fight.

Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Bérubé

The Blair Witch Project meets Imaginary Girls in this story of codependent sisterhood, the struggle to claim one’s own space, and the power of secrets

Sixteen-year-old Skye is done playing the knight in shining armor for her insufferable younger sister, Deirdre. Moving across the country seems like the perfect chance to start over.

In their isolated new neighborhood, Skye manages to fit in, but Deirdre withdraws from everyone, becoming fixated on the swampy woods behind their house and building monstrous sculptures out of sticks and bones.

Then Deirdre disappears.

And when something awful comes scratching at Skye’s window in the middle of the night, claiming she’s the only one who can save Deirdre, Skye knows she will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best — the meanest, dirtiest, most feared crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld. 

Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk – or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay’s door with a plea for help. His daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy one hundred thousand strong and hungry for blood. Rescuing Rose is the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for.

It’s time to get the band back together for one last tour across the Wyld.

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

SPEAK AGAIN THE ANCIENT OATHS,

LIFE BEFORE DEATH.
STRENGTH BEFORE WEAKNESS.
JOURNEY BEFORE DESTINATION.

AND RETURN TO MEN THE SHARDS THEY ONCE BORE.

THE KNIGHTS RADIANT MUST STAND AGAIN.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars are fought for them, and won by them.

One such war is about to swallow up a soldier, a brightlord and a young woman scholar.

The Fever King by Victoria Lee

In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.

The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.

Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.

What books have you added to your TBR lately? Let me know in the comments!

Top 10 Tuesday – January 22nd, 2019

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish, and it is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books you meant to read in 2018 but didn’t get to. I had a bit of a rough year with reading this past year. I originally had a goal of 100 books but I had to drop it to 60 because I just wasn’t going to make it. Because of that, I have tons of books I really wanted to get to last year that I never ended up picking up. These 10 in particular are ones I definitely want to get to in the next few months.

1. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

2. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

3. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

4. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

5. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

6. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

7. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

8. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

9. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

10. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

What books were you not able to get around to? Are you planning to have them on your TBR for this year? Let me know in the comments!

Down the TBR Hole #7

This was created by Lia from Lost in a Story. I’m going to attempt to do this post every week as the rules say, but since I have such a massive TBR, I’m going to be picking out 20 books instead of 10. So, let’s see how this goes! 

This time around, I didn’t clear out too much, but I thought it would still be fun to share my TBR with you guys! It’s been so long since I did one of these, so my TBR shelf has gotten ever more out of control. I’m hoping to get back to doing these regularly because it’s definitely in desperate need of a clear out.

The Rules:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.

Order on ascending date added.

Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books

Read the synopses of the books

Decide: keep it or should it go?

Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week!

Current “To Read” Shelf: 1741

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The Night My Sister Went Missing by Carol Plum-Ucci

I vaguely remember picking this up somewhere because it was really cheap and sounded intriguing. I’ve never heard anyone talk about this one, so I’m not quite sure what to expect with it. That being said, I do think I still have enough of an interest in it to keep it on my TBR. It’s an extremely short novel and I think I can probably breeze through it.

Judgment: KEEP

Life is But a Dream by Brian James

This is another one I found randomly and have been very interested in for years but I just haven’t gotten to yet. I don’t ever hear about this one either, but it does sound good. I’ve been cutting down on the amount of books I read about mental illness for personal reasons, but this is one of the few I do want to keep on my list for now.

Judgment: KEEP

Witch & Wizard by James Patterson

I’ve had this book—and series as a whole—on my radar for ages but I kept putting it off for some reason. I never seemed to be in the mood for it whenever I thought about picking it up. Between that and the fact that I am now well out of the age range for this one, realistically, I’m probably never actually going to get around to it. I’m going to let this book go.

Judgment: GO

Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz

I had an incredibly hard time making up my mind about this book. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not likely to be something I read anytime soon and I have too many books on my TBR to keep something I feel that way about. I’m sure this is a great read, but I need to pass my copy off to a better home.

Judgment: GO

Flawed by Kate Avelynn

I don’t actually remember adding this one to my TBR and when I came across it while making this post, I realized I had absolutely no clue what it was about. It also definitely isn’t something I want to read anymore.

Judgment: GO

Dreamsleeves by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

Despite how long it’s been since I discovered and added this book, my desire to pick it up is still pretty strong. It sounds like such a sad but heartwarming story with a very unique concept. I definitely want to try my best to get to this one at some point.

Judgment: KEEP

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

I remember hearing tons about this when it first came out and it was exactly the kind of novel I was enjoying reading at the time. But I remember my enthusiasm about it dying down somewhat quickly. This also seems like something I would have been a lot more interested in when I was younger anyway. So this one is going off my TBR.

Judgment: GO

Crazy by Amy Reed

As I mentioned earlier, I am cutting down on the amount of mental illness books on my TBR. I read one other book by Amy Reed years ago and I really enjoyed it, so I added some of her other books to my list. However, though I do think she is a good author, I’m not feeling any inclination to read this one anymore.

Judgment: GO

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I am for sure going to keep this one. F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of my favorite authors of all time, and I seriously need to read more of his work. I swear, I will get to this some day!

Judgment: KEEP

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Same reasons as I stated above!

Judgment: KEEP

Carrie by Stephen King

I’ve said before in these posts that almost anything by Stephen King is an automatic keeper and this is no exception. I am a massive fan of his and it’s crazy that I still haven’t gotten around to this one yet. But I am planning to try and work some more of his novels into my reading in the near future and this is toward the top of the list.

Judgment: KEEP

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

I’ve heard lots of great things about this novel—and the entire series—particularly from some friends of mine who I know I have very similar tastes to. And I am still extremely interested in this story. I will admit, I don’t know if I will be getting to this one really soon, but I am definitely going to keep it on my TBR.

Judgment: KEEP

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle is another one of my all-time favorite authors, so any work of his is something I want to read. I’m hoping to get back into this particular series this year and finally finish it. I’ve really missed these stories and I can’t wait to continue on with them.

Judgment: KEEP

The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf

A combination of a novel in verse with a story about the Titanic? This is a definite keeper! Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been so interested in learning about the Titanic and I also enjoy reading historical fiction about it. It sounds like this will be such a beautiful and poignant way of approaching the topic. I’m still very eager to read it.

Judgment: KEEP

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

This is another one of those books that I just randomly found and I know I was also very drawn in by the wonderful cover. It is likely going to be a very heavy and emotional read, but I’m still so interested in the story. I’m keeping this one on my list.

Judgment: KEEP

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I have been thinking a lot lately about how few series I have read—or at least completed—in my life and I want to change that. This year, I am dedicating myself to expanding that part of my literary experience and Leigh Bardugo’s novels are ones I have at the top of my list. I’m especially eager to get to Six of Crows, but I really want to read this trilogy first, so this should be a book on my monthly TBR very soon.

Judgment: KEEP

Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous

I remember reading Go Ask Alice—which is a book similar to this one—for school many years ago and I enjoyed it a lot. I have a couple of these novels in my collection and, though I don’t think I will like them quite as much as I did when I was younger, I believe they will still be good reads. It might be a while before I get around to this one, but I definitely want to keep it on my list for now.

Judgment: KEEP

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I am absolutely, 100% determined to read this novel this year. I’ve been meaning to get around to it for ages and I’m sure I will absolutely love it. I think I put this off because I know it will probably be a bit of a slower read for me. But I’m going to try my best to make time for it sometime in the next few months.

Judgment: KEEP

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

I have to be honest, this was mainly a cover buy, which is a somewhat rare thing for me. I was also interested in the story, but I don’t remember ever being fully sold on it. It’s another one that I also feel I’ve outgrown. My tastes have changed so much in the last few years and I just know I’m never going to get around to this book.

Judgment: GO

Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

This is one other mental illness story that still makes it onto my list (I feel like I’ve made a ton of exceptions in this post!). I read another novel by Carol Lynch Williams years ago and it became one of my all-time favorites. This also seems like it will be a very quick read, so I believe I will in fact pick this up one day.

Judgment: KEEP

Getting Rid Of: 6/20

TBR Total: 1735

Top 5 Most Anticipated Releases of Winter 2018-2019

I’ve been having a bit of a hectic winter so far, so I’m running a bit late with this post. However, I wanted to make sure to get this out because I’m really looking forward to these next few months book-wise. There are so many awesome-sounding releases coming out very soon and it was incredibly difficult to narrow down my list to just five. But here are the novels that I am most looking forward to this winter.

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo (February 12^th, 2019)

Quick-witted, ambitious Ji Lin is stuck as an apprentice dressmaker, moonlighting as a dancehall girl to help pay off her mother’s mahjong debts. But when one of her dance partners accidentally leaves behind a gruesome souvenir, Ji Lin plunges into a dark adventure: a mirror world of secrets and superstitions.

Eleven-year-old Chinese houseboy Ren also has a secret, a promise he must fulfill to his dead master: to find his master’s severed finger and bury it with his body. Ren has 49 days to do so, or his master’s soul will wander the earth forever.

As the days tick relentlessly by, a series of unexplained deaths wrack the district, along with whispers of men who turn into tigers. Ji Lin and Ren’s increasingly dangerous paths crisscross through lush plantations, hospital storage rooms, and ghostly dreamscapes.

Yangsze Choo’s The Night Tiger pulls us into a world of servants and masters, age-old superstition and modern idealism, sibling rivalry and forbidden love. But anchoring this dazzling and propulsive novel is the intimate coming of age of a child and a young woman, each searching for their place in a society that would rather they stay invisible.

Lovely War by Julie Berry (March 5^th, 2019)

A sweeping, multi-layered romance with a divine twist, by the Printz Honor-winning author of The Passion of Dolssa, set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II.

It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep—and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.

Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who’s played Carnegie Hall, he’s a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that’s before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who’s already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers’ fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy (March 5^th, 2019)

I’ve been chased my whole life. As an illegal immigrant in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.

Now I’m done hiding.

My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

No pressure.

Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare (March 5^th, 2019)

In this propulsive, twist-filled, and haunting psychological suspense debut perfect for fans of Sharp Objects and Room, a seventeen-year-old girl struggles to remember the role she played on the night her life changed forever.

For the past two weeks, seventeen-year-old Kate Bennet has lived against her will in an isolated cabin in a remote beach town–brought there by a mysterious man named Bill. Part captor, part benefactor, Bill calls her Evie and tells her he’s hiding her to protect her. That she did something terrible one night back home in Melbourne–something so unspeakable that he had no choice but to take her away. The trouble is, Kate can’t remember the night in question.

The fragments of Kate’s shattered memories of her old life seem happy: good friends, a big house in the suburbs, a devoted boyfriend. Bill says he’ll help her fill in the blanks–but his story isn’t adding up. And as she tries to reconcile the girl she thought she’d been with the devastating consequences Bill claims she’s responsible for, Kate will unearth secrets about herself and those closest to her that could change everything.

A riveting debut novel that fearlessly plumbs the darkest recesses of the mind, Call Me Evie explores the fragility of memory and the potential in all of us to hide the truth, even from ourselves.

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner (March 19^th, 2019)

Robin of Locksley is dead. 

When news comes that he’s fallen in battle at the King’s side in the Holy Land, Maid Marian doesn’t know how she’ll go on. Betrothed to Robin, she was free to be herself, to flout the stifling rules of traditional society and share an equal voice with her beloved when it came to caring for the people of her land.

Now Marian is alone, with no voice of her own. The people of Locksley, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, are doomed to live in poverty or else face death by hanging. The dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the Sherriff’s right hand, wishes to step into Robin’s shoes as Lord of Locksley, and Marian’s fiancé. Society demands that she accept her fate, and watch helplessly as her people starve.

When Marian dons Robin’s green cloak, and takes up his sword and bow, she never intended that anyone should mistake her for Robin, returned from the Holy Land as a vigilante. She never intended that the masked, cloaked figure she created should stand as a beacon of hope and justice to peasant and noble alike. She never intended to become a legend.

But all of Nottingham is crying out for a savior. So Marian must choose to make her own fate and become her own hero…

Robin Hood.

What upcoming releases are you looking forward to the most this winter? I’d love to hear about your reading plans for the next few months, so make sure to let me know about them in the comments!