The year is winding down and Publishing”s Assault on My Bank Account Balance is finally beginning to wane. Which is good, because I just made the appalling revelation that 2/3 of the books on my shelves I haven’t read yet. Expect a shame post on this at some point once I get my motivation to actually write posts.
As there aren’t many November and December releases, I decided to combine the rest of the year into this edition of Anticipated Reads. It is almost as if everyone is leaving December to the Children of Blood and Bone follow-up, but I’ll take it as I have a lot of reading to do!
📝 In case you are wondering how I manage to keep track of upcoming releases and choose the books I am most excited to highlight, check out my Edelweiss 2.0 Guide!
Source: Playbill on Tumblr
✨✨ November 5 ✨✨
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
Adult, Science Fiction
Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.
Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.
Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.
✨✨✨
The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising #1) by Kiersten White
Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings
From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes a new fantasy series reimagining the Arthurian legend, set in the magical world of Camelot.
There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl.
Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom’s borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution–send in Guinevere to be Arthur’s wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king’s idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere’s real name–and her true identity–is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.
To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old–including Arthur’s own family–demand things continue as they have been, and the new–those drawn by the dream of Camelot–fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land. Arthur’s knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free.
Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?
✨✨✨
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Adult, Fantasy
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.
✨✨✨
A Thousand Fires by Shannon Price
Young Adult, Thriller
Debut author
Shannon Price’s A Thousand Fires is a breakout contemporary debut―think The Outsiders meets The Iliad―that’s perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Veronica Roth.
10 Years. 3 Gangs. 1 Girl’s Epic Quest…
Valerie Simons knows the city’s gang wars are dangerous—her own brother was killed by the Boars two years ago. But nothing will sway her from joining the elite and beautiful Herons to avenge his death—a death she feels responsible for.
But when Valerie is recruited by the mysterious Stags, their charismatic and volatile leader Jax promises to help her get revenge. Torn between old love and new loyalty, Valerie fights to stay alive as she races across the streets of San Francisco to finish the mission that got her into the gangs.
ARC Review to Come
✨✨ November 26 ✨✨
Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian
Young Adult, Dark Fantasy
In a land where magic is outlawed, eight criminals led by seventeen-year-old Larkin are sent on a mission to kill an ancient evil that plagues their kingdom. Descending into an underground realm full of unspeakable horrors, Larkin and her party must use their forbidden magic to survive what lies in wait, teeth sharp and jaws deadly.
As she fights for her life, Larkin finds a light in Amias, a fellow outlaw with a notorious past. Soon Larkin and Amias realize their fates are entwined. The eight of them were chosen for a reason.
But as the dangers multiply and her band of felons are picked off one by one, Larkin must confront a terrible truth: They were never meant to return.
Sarah Harian crafts a thrilling, high-octane fantasy adventure that explores the often-thin line between light and darkness, good and evil.
ARC Review to Come
✨✨ December 3 ✨✨
Reverie by Ryan La Sala
Young Adult, Fantasy
Debut Author
Inception meets The Magicians, except with better wigs and a maniacal drag queen sorceress attempting to unravel the reality of Connecticut (yes, the state) and replace it with something…well something better than Connecticut.
Ryan La Sala’s debut fantasy is an #OwnVoices story following Kane Montgomery, a gay teenager piecing his life back together after an attack robs him of his memories. As Kane searches for who he was, he uncovers a war for the creative rights to reality itself, each battle played out in an imagined world turned real: a reverie.
Reveries are worlds born from a person’s private fantasies, and once they manifest they can only be unraveled by bringing their conflicts to resolution. Reveries have rules and plots, magic and monsters, and one wrong step could twist the entire thing into a lethal, labyrinthine nightmare. Unraveling them is dangerous work, but it’s what Kane and The Others do.
Or did, until one of The Others purged Kane of his memories. But now Kane is back, and solving the mystery of his betrayal is the only way to unite his team and defeat reality’s latest threat: Poesy, a sorceress bent on harvesting the reveries for their pure, imaginative power.
But what use might a drag queen sorceress have with a menagerie of stolen reveries? And should Kane, a boy with no love for a team that betrayed him, fight to stop her, or defect to aid her?
Reverie is about the seduction of escaping inwards, about the worlds we hide within ourselves, and the danger of dreams that come true.
✨✨✨
Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legends of Orïsha #2) by Tomi Adeyemi
Young Adult, Fantasy
After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.
Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari’s right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy’s wrath.
With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.
Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the stunning sequel to Tomi Adeyemi’s New York Times bestselling debut Children of Blood and Bone, the first title in her Legacy of Orïsha trilogy.
✨✨✨
Are any of these books on your TBR? Have you read any of them yet? What are the end of the year releases that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Ooh I can’t wait for children of virtue and vengeance!
(www.evelynreads.com)
Ahh, me either! Although I probably won’t read it for quite some time… I am so behind on my ARCs and CoBaB is a chonker to need to re-read… some day!
I’m looking forward to Eight Will Fall 😃 But I just got back from the library yesterday with 6(technically 8) new books 😅 I hope Eight Will Fall was good!
Look at you with all those books, hope you have the happiest of reading!
I have a couple books I want to read and series to finish before the year ends, but for new releases, I think I’m good ahaha. The Guinevere Deception looks really good though!
I feel you 100%, I am so behind on 2019 reads and series – I am kind of glad that the rest of the year is light so I have some time to catch up!
Is Children of virtue and vengeance still going to be out there? Becasue I heard that it has been postponed again. I think I might wait for its Dutch translation as I read the first one in dutch too, however I’m unsure whether it will be translated.
The Starless Sea audiobook is pre-ordered as it will be a full cast audiobook so I think it will work better for me than an ebook. I haven’t read The Night Circus yet anyway.
The US Release definitely is December, Tomi Adeyemi is doing a launch tour next month. I don’t know if international publication was pushed back or not, though, as I live in the US.
I didn’t realize Starless Sea is fullcast, that makes me SO HAPPY! I received an audio listening copy from the publisher but am waiting for my hardcover copy to arrive so I can read along. Even more excited!!!
I always tell myself I’m not gonna look at anticipated releases posts because my bank account cannot handle this and yet here I am. I’m so excited for Children of Virtue and Vengeance – I absolutely adored the first book. The Starless Sea is one I’ve heard so much about and, even though I haven’t read The Night Circus yet, I’m super hyped for this book. And now to go add the others to my TBR…
I know what you mean, these posts are my kryptonite because I have no self control & my owned TBR is a literal monster. Starless Sea is a standalone, so your not reading Night Circus is a good thing – especially since you won’t have anything to compare it to… hype sometimes can be a bitch. Thanks for stopping by, Kelly! xx
Oh these look super interesting!
Lotte | http://www.lottelauv.blogspot.co.uk
Thank you!
It’s amazing that there are still so many new releases coming up this year that I want to read! I have almost all of these on my TBR, and I hope to start The Deep tonight😁
I know, last year November and December were fairly quiet for me! I finished The Deep last night and… WOW is all I can say!
So exciting!! I love posts like these. I’m so hyped for Starless Sea, Children of Virtue and Vengeance and The Deep!
This is my public service announcement:
I read The Deep in one sitting yesterday and it was amazing and I can’t stop thinking about it.
From your list I’m super-excited for Children of Virtue and Vengeance and Reverie. Besides these, I’m super excited for Talia Hibbert’s Get a Life, Chloe Brown – it’s coming in November, and while I read, reviewed and loved the e-ARC, I can’t wait to get my hands on the actual published book, especially because this is her first traditionally published title! The Bromance Book Club is another romance I’m looking forward to, and Nalini Singh is publishing her first mystery-thriller called A Madness of Sunshine which I’m also stoked for. I’m tentatively looking forward to Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, even though The Wicked King was a disappointment for me. Great list, and I hope you’ll enjoy all the books you’re excited for! 🙂
Ahhh, I hadn’t heard about Get a Life, Chloe Brown but it sounds so good?
The Gueneviere Deception wasn’t on my radar before but I’m starting to see reviews and more mentions of that one and I have to admit I’m interested now. I also really want to check out The Starless Sea. We’ll see how it goes though. I better get in all the book buying in the next two months before I ban myself in the new year LOL 🙂
I am also considering a 2020 ban of sorts. Gotta get our buying in now, muahaha!
I’m looking forward to The Guinevere Deception as well! As soon as I saw Changelings I was sold!
I swear, even though I have yet to read any of Kiersten’s books, they all sound so good and I can’t stop myself from buying them. I’ll be going to a signing for Guinevere Deception… next week? IDK soon lol
The Guinevere Deception’s cover looks fantastic!!! wow
Oh my goodness, I KNOW! That and Reverie has me wanting to buy the book based on cover alone (but also content)!
Aaaaah Children of Vice and Virtue is def on my TBR, I loved the first book and I also loved meeting Tomi at her book signing last year. I remember seeing A Thousand Fires somewhere, it was probably on your blog to be honest, but now it’s added to my TBR and I’ll just sit and wait for the paperback to be released *sniffs*
I didn’t know you met Tomi last year!!! She is coming to San Diego next month and I am trying to decide if I want to buy a ticket or not… it is her only West Coast stop and it is sure to be anxiety-inducing for me, so probably now 🙁
The Starless Sea is the read I think I’m most interested from this compilation!! I love the concept x
I am also really excited for it, the concept sounds so magical!
I really enjoyed the excerpt of The Deep that I read. I wonder how it ends so I may take a look if it lands in my library. The Starless Sea sounds intriguing and I’ve always wanted to read that author. I need to check it out after it comes out. ❤️ Thanks for sharing these Kal! Actually there are quite a few good Nov and Dec reads coming out.
I read The Deep in full yesterday and loved it, so I hope you will have a chance to pick it up from the library! It went in a direction I wasn’t expecting from the excerpt but it works so well. I can’t stop thinking about the book, but can’t write a coherent thought about it.
Wait, why did somehow think that Reverie would release next year? My bad, but I’m so grateful to this post for informing me! I’m so excited to read it! If it’s anything like its author, it’s gonna be a wild ride. I’ve also yet to read a review that isn’t a 5-star review for The Starless Sea, so my expectations for it are high!
Fortunately, I got to read an arc of A Thousand Fires, but unfortunately, I didn’t like it very much. I’m excited for your arc review, and I wonder if we’ll have the same thoughts!
Reverie was originally going to come out in 2020, but it was pushed up to December! JOYOUS DAY! Based on Ryan’s shenanigans on Twitter, I am really excited to read the book hahaha.
I am sorry you didn’t enjoy A Thousand Fires, Caitlin! I wound up devouring it in one sitting and enjoyed it quite a bit, even though I think the publisher miscategorized the genre… it isn’t a thriller, lol. My review goes up next week!
I love that the next two months are slower. It’s the greatest for my wallet seriously!
These all sound so good! I’m most excited for The Guinevere Deception but I think the starless sea could be my next choise 🙂
I think those 2 are my top as well! Happy reading!
Oh my goodness, hard same! I need to catch up on my reading before buying more books!
I think you’ve just added a couple of books to my TBR! I’ll see how I go. But at least I know I can keep coming back to find more new reads
Ahh, I can’t wait to read The Starless Sea either, so, so very curious about that one, it sounds incredible and the author’s writing is so beautiful <3
Ahh, hard same! I need to drag myself to the bookstore so I can pick up my copy!
I’m about to go pick up my copy of The Starless Sea and I definitely want to read The Guinevere Deception! I also preodered Children of Virtue and Vengeance, so, we’re pretty much excited about the same booooooks woooo and I have to read my earc for Reverie for sure, think I’ll read it on the plane ride home next month. I’m also already getting so hyped for 2020 books lol
I picked up signed copies of The Starless Sea and The Guinevere Deception on Sunday, can’t wait to read them! Ugh let’s not talk about 2020 books, my arc list for next year is already a MESS.
My most anticipated read in Nov is Call down the hawk by Maggie Stiefvater! But for Dec I am also anticipating the next in the Orisha series too D: I am so very excited, especially as the release date was pushed back a bit. I have seen a lot of people excited for The Starless Sea! I need to read her debut soon DD:
Ahhh so many of my friends were SO STOKED for Call Down the Hawk! I haven’t read the Raven Cycle yet, but I need to!!! And I have been waiting for the next Orisha book for so long, I was bummed when the book got pushed back twice but am glad Tomi got the time she needed to get the story right. Happy reading!