TBR – Page 5 – Lyndsey Hall

Six sequels I’m dying to read!

Hi folks, I thought I’d give you all a little look-see at which book series I’m loving right now and which sequels I can’t wait to read. I’m going to cheat a little bit today, some of these books are yet to be released, some are recent releases, and some are years old, I just haven’t managed to squeeze them into my busy schedule yet.

Let me know if you’ve read any of these and what you thought!

Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

Stalking Jack the Ripper Kerri Maniscalco

How beautiful do those covers look together? I’m not usually a huge fan of people on covers, but these are just gorgeous. I especially like the cityscapes that are blended in, as a big part of these stories is the location they’re set in (London, Romania and a luxury cruise liner to America!). I just finished the audio book of Hunting Prince Dracula a couple of weeks ago and loved it even more than Stalking Jack the Ripper, so I’m really excited for Escaping from Houdini’s release this month! I’ve preordered it using my September Audible credit so I can download it as soon as it goes live.

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

Probably my favourite series of all time (after Harry Potter, of course) and soon to be a TV series! I’m just about to finish reading the paperback of Tower of Dawn, which has been a new experience after listening to the audio books of the previous five books – I normally get through these in a week or two, but it’s taken months thanks to a new baby stealing all my reading time! Thank the gods I’m back to work and can listen to the audio book on my commute when Kingdom of Ash is released next month.

Now I Rise & Bright We Burn by Kiersten White

I still can’t believe I haven’t read Now I Rise! At least now Bright We Burn is out I can read both in quick succession instead of dying from the long wait. I listened to the audio book of And I Darken (and loved it!), and for some reason book two never appeared on Audible. I waited and waited, but I guess I’m going to have to get my hands on the paperbacks of these two. I’ll have to hit up the mobile library next time it comes around!

(Do you have mobile libraries in other countries? It’s basically a minibus full of books that drives around rural villages. You can order books like a normal library. They’re pretty great when you live out in the sticks, but might only come once a month depending where you live.)

Half Lost by Sally Green

Half Bad was such an unexpected joy of a book, I’d never heard of it until a friend who works for Waterstones gave it to me just after it was released, but I was hooked immediately. Green’s got such a captivating way of writing, she throws you straight into Nathan’s head and you barely get a chance to catch your breath until you’ve finished the whole book. I read Half Wild a couple of years ago, and I’ve just never gotten round to Half Lost (clearly putting off ending the series and saying goodbye to Nathan and Gabriel!).

Fire & Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Graceling was the best YA fantasy I’d read in about a year, and has cemented its position as one of my all time favourites. The story is just so well crafted, with beautifully detailed world-building and fully-formed characters. The whole concept of Graces is fascinating, like natural talents and affinities taken to the nth degree, and I can’t wait to find out more about them in the two companion books, Fire and Bitterblue. They follow different characters in the same fictional world, with some of the cast of Graceling popping up as cameos, and Bitterblue obviously focusing on one of the secondary characters from book one. If you haven’t read Graceling yet, I’d definitely recommend it, I jumped on the bandwagon late, but now I’m practically driving it!

Lord of Shadows & Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

I’ve been obsessed with all things Shadowhunter since I first read City of Bones about 8 years ago, quickly ordering and devouring all the available sequels, and then The Infernal Devices, and stalking the filming of the Mortal Instruments movie with Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower. I actually enjoyed the film and was really disappointed when it didn’t do that well, so I was thrilled when they decided to turn it into a TV series. Now Shadowhunters is coming to an end and I’m left with the book series again. Not that I’m complaining, I’ve got Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and Lord of Shadows sitting on my shelf just waiting to be read, and Queen of Air and Darkness will soon be out in the world. Then there’s the fourth series Clare is planning, The Last Hours, and I cannot wait to hear about Will and Tessa’s descendants! So it’s not like I’m struggling for content over here.

And that is a very non-exhaustive list of the sequels I’m desperate to read and plan to jump headlong into as soon as I get a spare moment (babies, amirite?). Which series are you loving right now and can’t wait to get your hands on the next book?

Lyndsey

What’s on my TBR?

The weather in the UK this last few weeks has been unusually fantastic, and we’ve spent most of that time in the garden with the dogs, enjoying the warm, sunny days together before we both return to work from parental leave. This heat reminds me of being on holiday and makes me just want to sit and read in the sunshine all day long, so I thought I’d share with you all the books on my summer 2018 TBR pile.

(Can you believe it’s been almost a year since I last shared my TBR?!)

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

I bought The Hazel Wood last week and am absolutely dying to read it now, but I have a couple of current reads to finish first. It’s a dark fantasy about Alice, a girl who seems to be cursed with bad luck, whose grandmother is the author of a classic book of Grimm style fairy tales. When her grandmother dies and her mother is abducted by a figure who claims to be from the Hinterlands – the fictional world depicted in the fairy tales – Alice is forced to ally with one of her grandmother’s cult-like following and travel to the Hazel Wood in order to rescue her mother.

How good does that sound?? I’ll post a review as soon as I’ve read it, but I can see this one becoming a new all-time favourite!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

This series has been on my wish list for so long, and I finally bought a copy of the first book last month, so I’ll be initiated into the cult of ADSOM imminently! I haven’t actually read ANY Schwab yet, can you even believe that? This is another book/series I expect to be completely sucked into and fall head over heels. Expect a review full of gushing and flailing very soon.

A Darker Shade of Magic tells the tale of Kell, one of the last Antari (magician) who are able to travel between the four parallel Londons. Raised in Red London, he works as an ambassador travelling between his home and White London, where magic has ceased to exist. On the side, he acts as a smuggler, escorting people with enough cash from one London to another, until he is forced to escape and hide in Grey London. There, he meets Lila Bard and ends up on an even more dangerous and exciting adventure, one that might result in them saving all the worlds.

Literally cannot wait to read.

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

ACOFAS is the latest instalment of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, it’s a novella that bridges the gap between the original trilogy and the upcoming new trilogy, set some time after the first three books. I’m excited to read this one, but I’m tempted to leave it until the first book of the new trilogy is released next year, so I don’t completely forget everything that happens!

It centres on the original characters of the Night Court in the run up to the Winter Solstice. It should be a fun little read at 229 pages, I could even read it now (because, impatient) and reread it next year!

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

Set in 18th Century Cairo, The City of Brass is another exotic historical fantasy that I am dying to get round to reading. The blurb gives me And I Darken feels (which I was obsessed with but Now I Rise still isn’t available on Audible?? Just why??), with lots of gorgeous Eastern culture and a badass female protagonist (my favourite thing of ever).

Nahri is a skilled con woman, feigning psychic abilities in order to swindle Ottoman nobles. She doesn’t believe in magic, but when she accidentally summons a mysterious djinn warrior during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magic from her childhood stories may be real. The djinn warriors takes her to Daevabad, the legendary City of Brass, and she is soon embroiled in court politics and dangerous schemes that could have deadly consequences.

Anyone else getting kind of an Aladdin vibe? I wonder if the djinn warrior will be sassy like Genie. Either way, get in my eyeballs, book.

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

More historical fantasy for my reading pleasure, thank you please! I loved Stalking Jack the Ripper when I listened to the audiobook a few months ago, Audrey Rose is exactly the type of ballsy fictional woman I love to read about, plus the Author’s Notes about the accuracy of the medical procedures from the time period were absolutely fascinating. And this is yet another version of the Dracula/Vlad the Impaler legend, like And I Darken by Kiersten White – another favourite of mine.

Book two follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell to the heart of Romania, where a series of bizarre murders have been discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. Dracula. Is a copy cat killer on the loose or has someone resurrected the prince?

Kerri Maniscalco’s attention to detail and historical accuracy is so thorough, and her plots and characters are gripping and layered, so I’m really excited about this one.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Most of you will know I entered Pitch Wars in 2017, unfortunately I didn’t get in but I did get some great mentoring from one of the agented authors who helped me polish my first ten pages. One of the mentors last year was Tomi Adeyemi, and her debut Children of Blood and Bone was hotly anticipated by pretty much everyone, including me. I finally downloaded the audio book last month, but I’m a little bit behind on my listening so I’m hoping to get round to it very soon.

The story follows Zelie, whose mother is murdered when the ruthless king decides to eradicate magic by killing all maji. Zelie must team up with a rogue princess in order to escape the crown prince who is hell-bent on wiping out all remaining maji, but the greatest danger may be Zelie herself as she struggles to control her emerging powers.

Excuse me while I drive around for hours just to listen to this (and probably get the baby to fall asleep, two birds and all that.)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling is one of those books that has been on my radar for about a decade (showing my-and its-age now), but I just haven’t ever bought or borrowed. It’s right up my street and gets absolutely rave reviews from everyone who’s even a little bit into YA fantasy, so I’ve no idea what was stopping me from reading it. None of that matters now though, as I’ve used one of my monthly Audible credits to download the audiobook and I’m so excited to listen to it. I know there are two other books in the series, but as far as I’m aware they’re not strictly sequels, I think they follow two other characters and run parallel to Graceling – let me know if you’ve read them, are they worth a read?

The book follows Katsa, a girl Graced with the ability to kill a man with her bare hands. As the king’s niece, she should be living a life of luxury, but with her skills she’s forced to work as the king’s thug. Until, that is, she finds herself falling in love with the handsome Prince Po and discovers the truth behind her Grace and a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms.

There’s magic, adventure, romance and a cast of unforgettable characters, apparently – what more could you want?

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

The Gentleman Bastard series is another golden oldie, but this time I hadn’t heard of the books until a year ago. It’s got a great rating on Goodreads, and loads of book bloggers I trust have loved the series, so I thought I’d add it to my Goodreads shelf, and a few weeks ago I bought it in the Audible 2 for 1 sale.

Locke Lamora is a young orphan boy turned thief, tutored by one of the most gifted con artists on the island city of Camorr. As leader of a band of thieves called the Gentleman Bastards, Locke becomes infamous, even tricking the underworld’s most feared ruler. But when an ambitious and deadly rival initiates a coup, endangering everyone and everything Locke cares about in his mercenary life, he vows to beat the enemy at his own game – or die trying.

It’s giving me Prince of Thorns X Six of Crows vibes, and I am here for it.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I’m absolutely living for these fantasy novels set in alternate historical periods and exotic locations – An Ember in the Ashes is set in a fictional world inspired by the brutality of ancient Rome, and I’m expecting to love it as much as my other favourite Romanesque series, Nevernight.

Laia is a slave, living with her grandparents and older brother under the rule of the Martial Empire. They live by the rules, they’ve seen what happens to those who don’t. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia must make a decision that could endanger them all – in exchange for the help of a band of rebels who agree to rescue her brother, she must spy for them from within the Empire’s military academy. There, she meets Elias, a soldier – the school’s finest, but he isn’t there by choice. Neither of them is free. As they discover that their destinies are entwined, they find that their choices could change the fate of the Empire itself.

From the blurb I’m not sure whether this one will be a fantasy, or more of an alternative history along the lines of And I Darken, but either way I know I’m going to love it! Everyone is raving about A Reaper at the Gates right now, so I can’t wait to read this whole series.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

I bought Scythe in the Audible 2 for 1 sale, I hadn’t really heard that much about it but it was on the fantasy list so I thought I’d check out the blurb, and instantly knew I had to read it.

In a world where humans have conquered hunger, war and even death, a group of trained killers called Scythes must end lives in order to keep the population at a manageable level. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice as Scythes, and despite the fact that neither wants to, they must master the art of killing or risk losing their own lives.

It’s dark and bloody and that’s all I need to know.

Have you read any of these? Let me know if I mentioned one of your faves and what you loved about it, I need help deciding which to read first!

Lyndsey

Ten of my favourite autumnal reads

Good day fellow readers and writers! It’s Tuesday and we all know what that means, another edition of Top Ten Tuesdays by The Broke and the Bookish. If you’re new here and you’ve never heard of TTT, pop along to the lovely ladies’ blog and educate yourself, son!

It’s a brilliant weekly meme where we all choose ten books/characters/etc. on a particular theme. This week, as the nights draw in and the weather turns decidedly chilly (here in the UK, at least), the theme is Autumn.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Look at that cover! It screams Autumn to me, like bonfires and caramels and toffee apples. This is a sci-fi dystopian about sixteen year old Ruby, who survives a deadly illness that kills most American children, and the survivors discover they’ve been left with strange new abilities. It sounds like the perfect dark read for the longer nights and cooler days.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Who doesn’t love a gentle evening stroll once the stars come out? Even if death is following in the shadows… They Both Die at the End is a contemporary about two boys, Mateo and Rufus, who find out they are going to die on the same day, so they decide to spend it together and make it a last day worth living.

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Autumn brings with it some of the most beautiful sunsets, and as they’re so early we’re much more likely to be able to enjoy them! Plus, this girl’s dress is either on fire or full of magic, so there’s that. Walk on Earth a Stranger is the first in the Gold Seer trilogy, which follows Lee Westfall, a girl who can sense gold in the environment – nuggets in riverbeds, veins of it running through the earth (handy in Gold-Rush era America). Her ability has kept her family alive through many a harsh winter, but it might just put them in the gravest danger if someone finds out…

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

This cover is pretty abstract, but the combination of colours strikes me as autumnal. This is a sort of modern fairy tale about a family of miracle workers who live on a ranch in Colorado, the Sorias. The miracles they perform consist of exposing the deepest, darkest secrets of their clients so that they can overcome them, but unfortunately the Sorias are not permitted to help them do so. If they do, they will be punished. Maggie’s speciality is strange and magical settings, characters with flaws and layers, and fantastical elements unlike any you’ve ever read about.

A Shiver of Snow and Sky by Lisa Lueddecke

I’ve thrown a few wintery book covers into the mix, so fingers crossed there isn’t a Winter themed Top Ten Tuesday in a few months or I might struggle to find ten books without duplicating! A Shiver of Snow and Sky is set on a remote island called Skane, the description gives me a very Scandinavian vibe. The sky lights up with colours that indicate different messages – green means all is well, blue a snow storm is coming, and red is a warning. Doesn’t that sound like the Aurora Borealis? Perfect reading material for frosty nights under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate.

Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi

Look at that gloriously wintery cover! This is a companion novel to Furthermore, so check that one out too, but both can be read as standalones. Laylee spends her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife. Her own mother passed away, leaving her alone with her father who is driven mad with grief. Laylee’s own sadness and loneliness are causing her hands to stiffen and turn silver, like her hair, until a pair of strangers turn up in the village and she rediscovers colour, magic and the healing power of friendship.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

There’s nothing like a walk through nature in the Autumn months, kicking piles of russet leaves and collecting shiny conkers. The Darkest Part of the Forest sounds right up my street – a strange town where humans and fae live side-by-side, a glass coffin deep in the woods containing the body of a horned fae-boy, who has slept for eternity. Until now. It sounds very Steifvater, I must say, which I obviously love.

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Karen Millwood Hargrave

I think this is the only Middle Grade book on this list, but I can’t resist a good fantasy, and this one centres on a cartographer’s daughter on an island filled with monsters. And just look at that gorgeous orange cover! Girl of Ink and Stars has won several awards for children’s literature, so I’ve definitely got to give it a chance, even if I tend to lean towards more mature reads.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Another contemporary! I know what you’re thinking, it’s unlike me to include more than one contemporary novel in any list, but I’m trying to expand my horizons, alright? Let me try. And that evening sky is just beautiful. So, Ari and Dante are two teens who meet at the pool and gradually realise they have more in common than they first thought. They’re both loners, but one is a rebel and one is a geek (or so I understand from the blurb). Their friendship comes to change both their lives beyond recognition.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

This cover might look slightly more summery than the others, but the story sounds very wintery indeed. Set in the Russian wilderness, where winter lasts for most of the year and snow drifts are taller than houses, Vasilisa loves to sit round the fire with her siblings and listen to her nurse telling them fairy tales. When her mother dies and her new step-mother forbids them from performing the rituals that protect the household from the bad luck and misfortune threatened by their stories, Vasilisa must expose her long hidden ability to protect her loved ones.

These are all books I’m yet to read, but I can’t wait to get to them all, I’m sure I won’t manage by the time Spring rolls around, but a few wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. Would it? We’ll see!

Which books are you looking forward to reading this A/W? Pop your TTT links in the comments so I can check out your lists!

Lyndsey