Top Ten Tuesday | Top Ten 2016 Debuts I’m Looking Forward To

Dec 1

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten 2016 Debuts I’m Looking Forward To

YAY, DEBUTS! I’m always excited to discover new authors, and these ten books have been on my radar for a while now. I have good feelings about 2016, friends. These books all look fantastic.

2016 debuts

THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD • Emily Henry | January 26, 2016, Razorbill. I’m BEYOND excited for this book. It has so many things that appeal to me: comparisons to Friday Night Lights, one of my favorite TV shows of all time; time travel; romance. I NEED IT.

THE MAY QUEEN MURDERS • Sarah Jude | May 3, 2016, HMH Books for Young Readers. This book sounds so wonderfully creepy, with the woods and the superstitious townsfolk and THAT COVER.

STONE FIELD • Christy Lenzi | March 29, 2016, Roaring Brook Press. This is a WUTHERING HEIGHTS retelling, and even though I’ve never read that book (eeep!), I’m still completely enamored with the sound of this one. Historical fiction,

LOVE, LIES & SPIES • Cindy Antsey | April 19, 2016, Swoon Reads. Guys, there are few things I enjoy more than historical romances. They’re just so damn fun! This book also reminds me a lot of one of my favorite series, Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation. I’m ready for this.

A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE (A Study in Charlotte #1) • Brittany Cavallaro | March 1, 2016, Katherine Tegen Books. I’m sorry, did someone say Sherlock? I’m in. Already preordered this one.

BLACKHEARTS • Nicole Castroman | February 9, 2016, Simon Pulse. I’m very much on the bandwagon for this origin story for Captain Hook. VERY MUCH.

INTO THE DIM • Janet B. Taylor | March 1, 2016, HMH Books for Young Readers. OMG the number of things about this book that I’m excited for is very high. Scotland, time travel, Eleanor of Aquitaine (!), and a blurb by DIANA GABALDON (!!). Preordered.

ASSASSIN’S HEART • Sarah Ahiers | February 2, 2016, HarperTeen. FANTASY. ASSASSIN FAMILIES. GODFATHER COMPARISON. I’M DYING.

REVENGE AND THE WILD • Michelle Modesto | February 2, 2016, Balzer + Bray. WHOA, Wild West things with magic. Very, very exciting!

DAUGHTERS OF RUIN • K.D. Castner | April 5, 2016, Margaret K. McElderry Books. There are lots of wicked sounding fantasy debuts coming out next year (I’m just realizing also that this list is heavy on the first half of the year; sorry about that!), and this one is definitely on the list. The synopsis name-drops Game of Thrones and Graceling. Can’t beat that for me.

What debuts did I miss? I’m so excited for new books!

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Waiting on Wednesday | The Vanishing Throne

Nov 4

The Vanishing Throne

The Vanishing Throne: The Falconer #2 • Elizabeth May

Book Cover The Vanishing Throne Elizabeth May

The second book in the Falconer trilogy is packed with surprises and suspense.

Aileana Kameron, the Falconer, disappeared through the portal that she was trying to close forever. Now she wakes up in the fae world, trapped and tortured by the evil Lonnrach. With the help of an unexpected ally, Aileana re-enters the human world, only to find everything irrevocably changed. Edinburgh has been destroyed, and the few human survivors are living in an uneasy truce with the fae, while both worlds are in danger of disappearing altogether. Aileana holds the key to saving both worlds, but in order to do so she must awaken her latent Falconer powers. And the price of doing that might be her life.

Rich with imaginative detail, action, fae lore, and romance, The Vanishing Throne is a thrilling sequel to The Falconer.

Guys, I enjoyed the CRAP out of THE FALCONER, with its historical fiction, Scotland, faeries, murder, romance, and a BADASS faerie-killing MC who likes building awesome steampunky things as a hobby. Aileana Kameron is excellent, and I can’t wait to see what happens in THE VANISHING THRONE. I’ve been so dying for it for such a long time. (Also, I love this cover.)

THE VANISHING THRONE comes out June 7, 2016 from Chronicle Books

The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May

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Top Ten Tuesday | Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel

Nov 3

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel

Whew! What a mouthful! It’s been a while since I last dove into Top Ten Tuesday, but I’m glad to be doing this topic! Isn’t it just the best when you discover a wonderful new author whose book just grabs you and speaks to you and makes you CRAZY with wanting more? I do. These 10 authors wrote some of my favorite recent debuts and I’m incredibly excited to get their next books!

 

debut author

I really enjoyed the mix of paranormal and historical fiction in Virginia Boecker’s debut, THE WITCH HUNTER. I need to do a reread before book 2 comes out, but I loved the way the magic and the history and the characters all pulled this story together. debut author

DUH I LOVED THE WRATH AND THE DAWN. I loved it so much, guys. The world-building, the atmosphere, the AMAZING Shazi and Khalid–it all blew me away. I’m a little anxious because there seems to be a lot of things hanging around that need to be resolved in book 2, but mostly I’m salivating for it. debut author

I’m so behind on some of my reviews, which is quite honestly the standard around here. THE STORYSPINNER is one of those books, alas. For the record, me not getting around to reviewing is strictly lack of time. I really liked this book and am super excited for book 2. There are lots of debuts here with magic in them, but all of the systems are different, and I love that. I’m also really enjoying the gypsy angle here. Big fan. debut author GUYSSSS, FIRST & THEN was so cute! I’m going to be reviewing it soon. It’s such a heartwarming romance between really great characters, Devon and Ezra. AWWW I want to reread it now. debut author I really thought that I was kind of over vampires. I’ve said this before. And then I read VELVET by Temple West…and I really enjoyed myself. It didn’t feel old hat or anything. It was just fun. I’m definitely looking forward to more. debut author I actually just finished reading Jennifer’s debut SANCTUARY, and it was aces when it came to atmosphere. Not scary, but still unsettling. A great psychological thriller/ghost story. debut author Another cute contemp! I’ve been reading a few different books that take place in Washington, D.C., lately and I’ve enjoyed them all. THE WRONG SIDE OF RIGHT is about the politics of campaigning, but it’s mostly about family. Also the romance is cute. A very enjoyable debut. debut author THE WATERWORKSS FROM ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES! Guys, seriously though. I cried my EYES OUT when I read this. It was disgusting, but also beautiful. Devastating but also life-affirming. Not bad for a YA debut. I’ll take some more, please.debut author LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD really touched me. It was also one of the more differently structured books I’ve read, and I have to give props to Ava Dellaira for pulling off an epistolary novel on her first go. It was emotional and insightful. I’m super bummed that I have to wait until 2018 for her next book!

debut authorThe cover for book 2 in Elizabeth May’s Falconer series was just released and I DIED. Because THE FALCONER was pretty legit, and another great book that combines fantasy and historical fiction, this time with Scotland (YAY) and faeries. I’m VERY excited for more Aileana!

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Waiting on Wednesday | The Love That Split the World | Emily Henry

Sep 30

The Love That Split the World

The Love That Split the World • Emily Henry

Book cover The Love That Split the World Emily Henry

Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves.

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start…until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.

That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken.

So, this book SCREAMS at me. READ MEEEE! FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTSS!! THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE!! Every time I read this synopsis, I get excited. The apparitions and the way things in Natalie’s world change and Beau. The only thing that makes me anxious is the uncontrollable SOBBING that THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE elicited from me after I finished. Oh well. Preordered this one already because I can BARELY WAIT.

THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD comes out January 26, 2016 from Razorbill

The Love That Split the World Emily Henry

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Top Ten Tuesday | Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR

Sep 22

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR

Ahh, fall. The time of cool air, pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween, and awesome new books. As with every season, I’m looking forward to more than 10 books, but these are the 10 I’m most DYING to read. They all sound amazing.

1 I am a VERY BIG fan of Rae Carson’s The Girl of Fire and Thorns series, so to say I’m also stoked about her newest–a fantasy wild west mash-up–is an understatement. CANNOT WAIT for this one, and thankfully, I don’t really have it! It comes out today. fall TBR I’m diving into this one soon, guys (like, this week), and I’m just so excited to be back in this world again with new people. Leigh Bardugo does fantasy soooo well, and the world of the Grisha is one of the best around. Plus, THIEVES. GIMME IT. fall TBRParis is one of my FAVORITE cities on the planet. It’s so…magical. I can’t describe it, but I always gravitate towards books set there, and this one by Ann Jacobus really sounds dark and lovely, and is one of the only contemps on this list. In fact, it’s the ONLY straight contemp. Whoops.
fall TBR DUH I NEED THIS SO BADLY EVEN THOUGH IT’S OVER 800 PAGES LONG. fall TBR I’ve only read one book by Jennifer Donnelly, but it was a good one (REVOLUTION). This historical paranormal sounds amazing, what with the mysterious murder and whole morgue angle. fall TBR I’ve yet to read the prequels to A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM. Mostly because until this October, they’ve only been published in separate edited volumes of short stories, and I just didn’t want to buy those big books for essentially just one story. BUT. Now the first three prequel novellas are being published in one volume. I’ve had it preordered for over a year. SOON. fall TBR I enjoyed THE YOUNG ELITES, mostly because it set up the rest of this series to be pretty excellent. Not that the first book wasn’t good–it had SO MUCH going on, and so many feels. I’m even more excited to see where it all leads. fall TBR Rick Riordan is doing Norse mythology now? I DIE. I just cannot even. Percy Jackson is everything, so I’m confident that Magnus Chase will take up his mantle well. fall TBR I have not heard a single bad thing about ILLUMINAE. Not anything. I don’t normally gravitate towards hard-core sci-fi, but this one sounds so twisty and different and I can’t wait to get to it. fall TBR

What’s that? Romeo & Juliet meets Children of the Corn? WUUUT! Another book that comes out today that I’m excited for. It sounds perfect for the fall: creepy and intense.

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Waiting on Wednesday | A Study in Charlotte | Brittany Cavallaro

Sep 16

A Study in Charlotte

A Study in Charlotte • Brittany Cavallaro

Book cover A Study in Charlotte Brittany Cavallaro

The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else.

Then a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Holmes stories, and Jamie and Charlotte become the prime suspects. Convinced they’re being framed, they must race against the police to conduct their own investigation. As danger mounts, it becomes clear that nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other.

Equal parts tender, thrilling, and hilarious, A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy brimming with wit and edge-of-the-seat suspense.

WHOA GUYS. A new series that retells Sherlock Holmes. You know I’m always going to be excited about these. I’m digging the fact that Sherlock’s descendant is a girl, but I’m mostly really excited about this “tense energy” and the danger. Also, I love this cover. Like, so much. A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE is way high on my most-anticipated list for 2016, friends.

A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE comes out on March 1, 2016 from Katherine Tegen Books

A Study in Charlotte Brittany Cavallaro

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Waiting on Wednesday | The Great Hunt | Wendy Higgins

Aug 12

Waiting on Wednesday

The Great Hunt • Wendy Higgins
Book cover The Great Hunt Wendy Higgins

Kill the beast. Win the girl.

A strange beast stirs fear in the kingdom of Lochlanach, terrorizing towns with its brutality and hunger. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity understands her duty to the kingdom though it pains her to imagine marrying a stranger. It would be foolish to set her sights on any particular man in the great hunt, but when a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention, there’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not keen on marriage. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast and protecting his family—yet Princess Aerity continues to challenge his notions with her unpredictability and charm. But as past secrets collide with present desires, dire choices threaten everything Paxton holds dear.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale, “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, outlawed magic, and a princess willing to risk all to save her people.

GUYS. THIS BOOK THO. A retelling of a Grimm Brothers’ tale (albeit one I’ve never heard of) that sounds a little like Beauty and the Beast, although it’s possibly that “Kill the Beast” tagline, is promising enough. But look at that one line there: “…a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, outlawed magic, and a princess willing to risk all….” Umm…YES TO ALL OF THESE THINGS.

I’m so excited to read THE GREAT HUNT that I preordered it already. I can barely contain my grabby hands.

THE GREAT HUNT comes out March 8, 2016 from HarperTeen

The Great Hunt Wendy Higgins

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Waiting on Wednesday | Revenge and the Wild | Michelle Modesto

Jun 24

Waiting on Wednesday

Revenge and the Wild • Michelle Modesto

Book cover Revenge and the Wild Michelle Modesto

The two-bit town of Rogue City is a lawless place, full of dark magic and saloon brawls, monsters and six-shooters. But it’s perfect for seventeen-year-old Westie, the notorious adopted daughter of local inventor Nigel Butler.

Westie was only a child when she lost her arm and her family to cannibals on the wagon trail. Nine years later, Westie may seem fearsome with her foul-mouthed tough exterior and the powerful mechanical arm built for her by Nigel, but the memory of her past still haunts her. She’s determined to make the killers pay for their crimes—and there’s nothing to stop her except her own reckless ways.

But Westie’s search ceases when a wealthy family comes to town looking to invest in Nigel’s latest invention, a machine that can harvest magic from gold—which Rogue City desperately needs as the magic wards that surround the city start to fail. There’s only one problem: the investors look exactly like the family who murdered Westie’s kin. With the help of Nigel’s handsome but scarred young assistant, Alistair, Westie sets out to prove their guilt. But if she’s not careful, her desire for revenge could cost her the family she has now.

This thrilling novel is a remarkable tale of danger and discovery, from debut author Michelle Modesto.

STAHHHP. Is this a fantasy steampunk Western? DOES THE SYNOPSIS SAY WAGON TRAIL?! Someone send me smelling salts. Please. PLEASE. I can’t. REVENGE AND THE WILD sounds amazing. Westie sounds like a complete BAMF, with her mechanical arm and her foul mouth. The magic and the gold angle sounds really interesting. I just need this book, guys.

REVENGE AND THE WILD comes out February 2, 2016 from Balzer + Bray

Revenge and the Wild Michelle Modesto

 

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Waiting on Wednesday | Blackhearts | Nicole Castroman

Jun 10

Waiting on Wednesday

Blackhearts • Nicole Castroman

Book cover Blackhearts Nicole Castroman

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything. This is their story.

Edward “Teach” Drummond, son of one of Bristol’s richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There’s just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents’ deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she’s stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

I swear, friends, I had no idea that this cover was just released today until I looked at Twitter late in the afternoon, but YAY PIRATES. I am dyinggg over the prospect of being able to read about the infamous Blackbeard before he became infamous. There’s nothing about BLACKHEARTS that doesn’t appeal to me: the time period, the setting, the plot. Loving it all.

I will admit to being SUPER nervous about the end of this book already because, well, Blackbeard eventually became that nasty pirate. And, like, I don’t know this Anne person. Sooo…fingers crossed that this one doesn’t have a heart-breaking ending, guys.

BLACKHEARTS comes out on February 9, 2016 from Simon Pulse

Blackhearts Nicole Castroman

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Top Ten Tuesday | Top Ten Most Anticipated Books in the Second Half of 2015

Jun 9

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books in the Second Half of 2015

Wooo, guys. Sometimes I can’t even with these lists. The “ten” just feels SO CONSTRICTING. It’s SQUEEZING THE LIFE OUT OF MY LIST. There’s way more than 10 books that I’m dying to read in the second half of 2015. Nothing out of the ordinary here. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that there are books I’m excited about that didn’t make the cut. But, like, barely because I want to read them ALL.

Top Ten Tuesday

Guys, I’m starting the dog days of summer off RIGHT. I’m dying for THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO. I can’t wait to read about Tim. COURT OF FIVES will probably be my first Kate Elliott book, unless I dive into one of her old-school fantasies before then. THE WOLF WILDER just sounds…so beyond amazing, I can’t even deal. I DO NOT EVER pass up on new Jay Crownover books, like BETTER WHEN HE’S BRAVE, even though I prefer her Marked Men series to Welcome to the Point. And DUH QUEEN OF SHADOWS. DUH.

Top Ten Tuesday

I just really read the synopsis for SORCERER TO THE CROWN the other day even though it’s been on my TBR for a while now, and it blew me away. NEED IT. VENGEANCE ROAD is pushing all of my Western buttons. A MADNESS SO DISCREET sounds creepy and perfect for fall. WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER = see VENGEANCE ROAD + Rae Carson. And I’ve been solidly in Marie Lu’s corner since her Legend series. Book 1 in The Young Elites was good, but ended so strongly, I can’t wait to get my hands on THE ROSE SOCIETY.

Top Ten Tuesday

Lots of contemps here! YAY! ROMANCING THE DARK IN THE CITY OF LIGHT…I mean, PARIS. And feelings. I am in. FIRST & THEN sounds adorable, adorable, adorable. When I found out that Rick Riordan was tackling Norse gods in MAGNUS CHASE AND THE GODS OF ASGARD, I died for a few seconds. Legit needed resuscitation. WINTER. WINTER. OMG. I am a big fan of Brigid Kemmerer’s Elementals series, even though the last book was a let down. I’m still excited to read THICKER THAN WATER, though. She does relationships really well.

What books are you guys looking forward to in the second half of 2015? I left SO MANY good ones off my list! WAHHH!

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