This was technically supposed to be written to go up on Monday, but with ALA and the exhaustion that came with, I completely and utterly forgot until about 4PM today. So, here it is, a day later than planned!
I’m heading to Texas this week with my family, to visit family and that means I have to figure out what books I’m taking…it also means I need to pack, and I haven’t even started. Whoops.
Anyways, I’m only taking four books. I’m hoping that’s enough, and I don’t just breeze through them and then have nothing to read. I’m only there for a week, and we’ll be busy most days, so fingers crossed I’m good. Also, I guess if I run out of books to read, I can write – something I didn’t do all weekend.
They’re all upcoming releases, two I got while attending ALA and two NetGalley gifted to me – which I’m grateful for. I wasn’t going to list these books in any particular order, but thinking about it, I know exactly what order I’m reading these in.
A Heart So Fierce and Broken – Brigid Kemmerer
Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.
Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen–until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?
The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.
I’m stoked to finally have a copy of this in my hands! Undoubtedly this is going to be the first book I read. I’ve been dying for it since October 2018 and I’m thrilled that I was about to snag a copy at ALA. I have a feeling Brigid might break my heart with this book, but bring it on.
There Will Come A Darkness – Katy Rose Pool
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?
I’ve been dying for this book ever since it popped up on my radar back in January, and there was no gorgeous cover then. This sounds utterly amazing and I’ve heard nothing but amazing things and I’m so excited for this.
The Girl the Sea Gave Back – Adrienne Young
For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.
For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.
I’m looking forward to reading this and was quite shocked when I received the email saying I’d been approved to read it early. NetGalley had been denying me left and right for a few months now, and after a kind of bad week, it was a really nice surprise. This book sounds really interesting, and I hope I like it!
House of Salt and Sorrows – 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.
I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this book and I’m hoping I think the same. It sounds so good and the cover is gorgeous and I’m excited to get to this! I mean, it’s basically the 12 dancing princesses story, which I would love more retellings/adaptations of.
Most likely, I’ll be tweeting or insta story-ing my reactions and potentially ratings (if I have the time) but I anticipate really loving these four books! Hope you all have a fantastic week and read amazing books!
Writing The Universe 