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December Book Releases

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is December and so it is time to share some of the books that are being released this month. As always, I am nowhere near a complete list, most of the time I have only seen a couple but I am glad to share any that I can.

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson – 9th December

Spanning the genres of fantasy and science fiction, this collection features stories from beyond the bounds of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe.

Along with the never-before-seen novella ‘Moment Zero’, Tailored Realities will include ‘Snapshot’, ‘Perfect State’, ‘Defending Elysium’ (a novella set within the world of Skyward), and five other stories that were originally published individually elsewhere – never before collected into one volume, and many never before available in print.

In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams – 30th December


🥕 Chef x Farmer
🥕 Brother’s Best Friend
🥕 He Fell First
🥕 Friends to Lovers
🥕 Meddling Townsfolk

Madison Walker was determined to make it in the culinary world of New York. But with her dreams shattered, she returns home to Rome, Kentucky, where an unexpected chance to rebuild her life awaits her – a head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant.

Better In Black by Cassandra Clare – 4th December

Ten couples. United by love. Divided by danger.

Jace and Clary seek out an exiled Shadowhunter and learn that love can save the world – or destroy it.
Will and Tessa are enjoying their honeymoon in Paris when a séance sends them down an unexpected path.
Simon and Izzy are together in New York when they observe increased demonic activity.

These are just a few of the beloved couples whose romantic escapades will have you on the edge of your seat across time and storylines from Cassandra Clare’s expansive Shadowhunters series. Don’t miss a chance to reunite with:

Anna and Ari
Emma and Julian
Kieran, Mark, and Cristina
James and Cordelia
Thomas and Alastair
Sebastian and the Seelie Queen
Jocelyn and Luke

A love letter to every Shadowhunter fan, and perfect for any romantasy lover, this riveting story collection also includes a sneak peek at The Wicked Powers, the majestic trilogy that will be the grand finale of the entire series.

Relive the love stories that started it all or begin your Shadowhunters obsession with the first in each series: City of Bones, Clockwork Angel or Chain of Gold.

An Archive of Romance by Ava Reid – 15th December

Uncategorized

March Book Releases

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are doing well today.

Today I am bringing you a list of some of the amazing book releases happening in March, note: some of these books will already be out by the time this list goes up but I will have the dates listed next to each book. Also note that the dates I give are the UK dates of publication.

Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid – 4th March

By encouraging massive accumulations of debt from its underclass, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects of society.

Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they scrape by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt—enough to qualify one of her children for Caerus’s livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet.

Melinoë is a Caerus assassin, trained to track and kill the sacrificial Lambs. The product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, she is a living weapon, known for her cold brutality and deadly beauty. She has never failed to assassinate one of her marks.

When Inesa learns that her mother has offered her as a sacrifice, at first she despairs—the Gauntlet is always a bloodbath for the impoverished debtors. But she’s had years of practice surviving in the apocalyptic wastes, and with the help of her hunter brother, she might stand a chance of staying alive.

For Melinoë, this is a game she can’t afford to lose. Despite her reputation for mercilessness, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on livestream, she desperately needs redemption.

As Mel pursues Inesa across the wasteland, both girls begin to question everything: Inesa wonders if there’s more to life than survival, while Mel wonders if she’s capable of more than killing.

And both wonder if, against all odds, they might be falling in love.

The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare – 4th March

In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as “everything I look for in fantasy,” Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – 18th March

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town.

As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

To Steal From Thieves by M K Lobb – 25th March

In this high-stakes heist novel, an alchemologist and a con man team up to steal a rare necklace—but complicated feelings of attraction and deception threaten to destroy everything and everyone they love—for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Judy I. Lin.

Within the dazzling halls of London’s Crystal Palace, the event of the season has arrived: The Great Exhibition. An opportunity for the greatest minds of the century to come together under one roof in an unprecedented display of art and invention. And for two unlikely partners in crime, it’s about to become the score of a lifetime.

Charming conman Kane Durante works alone—or on occasion with his best friend, Fletcher. But when his boss, the infamous Kingpin of London’s magical dark market, gives him the impossible task of stealing a priceless artifact from the Great Exhibition, he knows it’s a job he can’t pull off alone. Enter Zaria Mendoza, daughter of one of London’s greatest alchemologists. Ever since her father’s death, Zaria’s been struggling to keep her underground business afloat, and impatient clients are becoming violent. When the infuriatingly handsome Kane offers her the promise of enough money to get out of debt and leave London entirely, she knows she can’t walk away from this dangerous partnership.

But robbing one of the most public, heavily-guarded buildings in London isn’t going to be easy, especially when love and betrayal threaten to ruin everything they’ve worked so hard for.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent – 25th March

She was commanded to kill him with a single strike to the heart. She didn’t expect her own to betray her.

Sylina has sacrificed everything for her goddess–her soul, her freedom, her eyes. Life in service to the Arachessen, a cult of the Goddess of Fate, has turned Sylina from orphaned street-rat to disciplined killer, determined to overthrow Glaea’s tyrannical king. But when a brutal vampire conqueror arrives on their shores, Sylina faces an even deadlier adversary. She’s tasked with a crucial mission: infiltrate his army, earn his trust… and kill him.

Atrius is a terrifying warrior carving an unstoppable path through Glaea. Yet when Sylina becomes his seer, she glimpses a dark and shocking past–and a side of him that reminds her far too much of parts of herself she’d rather forget. Sylina’s orders are clear. The conqueror cannot live. But as the blood spilled by Glaea’s tyrant king runs thicker, her connection with Atrius only grows stronger. A connection forbidden by her vows. A connection that could cost her everything.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is a standalone fantasy romance set in the Crowns of Nyaxia world, full of heart-wrenching forbidden romance, dark curses, and epic battles – perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and the From Blood and Ash series.

How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin – 27th March

Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series. Annie Adams is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades, returning us to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets.

Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane crosses her path and shares a cryptic message. When Peony Lane is found dead only hours later inside the locked Gravesdown Estate, Annie quickly realizes that someone is out to make her look guilty while silencing Peony at the same time. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of Castle Knoll in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before the new life she’s just begun to build comes crashing down around her.

1967: A year has passed since her friend Emily disappeared, and teenage Frances Adams finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can’t hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that claimed the lives of Ford’s family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident—hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound. The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to wonder: What exactly has she gotten herself into?

The Shadow Bride by Shelby Mahurin – 27th March

In the thrilling conclusion of the duology set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Serpent & Dove series by Shelby Mahurin, a vampire and the woman who tried to kill him prove that true love can conquer anything, even Death. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Mass.

Célie’s life is over. She took her final breath trying to save the people she loves—including the powerful and enigmatic vampire king, Michal, who refused to let her go. When Célie wakes, she cannot walk in the sun; she can hear her friends’ heartbeats and she craves their blood. Michal has cursed her to the eternal existence of a vampire.

But Célie isn’t the only dead roaming the earth. Her sister, Filippa, has returned as a shadow of her former self, and other revenants are rising from their graves intent on revenge. The fragile balance between life and death has broken, awakening an even darker force—and he is coming for Célie, ready to claim her as his Bride. With the fate of their world at stake, Célie and Michal must set aside their searing attraction to mend the veil and right the balance, once and for all.

The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara – 27th March

A prince born into violence, seeking peace.

Prince Ashoka is the youngest son of the tyrannical Emperor Adil Maurya. Considered an outcast by his father for his rejection of the emperor’s brutal onslaught against the witches of the empire, Ashoka longs for change. When the sudden and unexpected death of his father leaves the monarchy in disarray, Ashoka is sent to govern a tumultuous region annexed by Emperor Adil that is terrorized by nature spirits—a task many see as doomed to fail. Suspected by a disdainful governor and evaded by distrustful witches, Ashoka must question his rigid ideals and fight against becoming the one person he despises the most—his father.

A witch shackled by pacifism, seeking revenge.

Shakti is a a witch bound by a pacifist code. After witnessing the murder of her aunt and village at the hands of the emperor, Shakti hurtles down a path of revenge, casting a curse with unexpected consequences. Posing as a maidservant in the famed palace of the Mauryas and armed with newfound powers beyond her imagination, Shakti attempts to dismantle the monarchy from within by having the royal progeny ruin themselves and turn their father’s legacy into nothing but ash.

In a world where nature spirits roam the land, and witches are hunted to extinction, Ashoka and Shakti will be forced to grapple with the consequences of to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.

Monthly Wrap Ups

May Wrap Up!

Happy Thursday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I know this is a couple of days late but I haven’t been very well. But finally I can put up my May wrap up! I had a much better reading month, part of this was because I took part in the 48 hour readathon hosted by Becca and the Books on YouTube for which I ended up reading seven books over a weekend.

So, let’s see what I managed to read this month from my TBR:

  • The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell – I did read this! It was one of the seven books I read for the readathon, a review will be coming soon
  • The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling – another book I read as part of the readathon, review coming soon
  • Graceling by Kristen Cashore – I did not read this
  • Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare – I did not read this
  • Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey – I did not read this
  • Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao – I did not read this
  • A Three Dog Problem by S J Bennett – I did not read this
  • The Crowns Game by Evelyn Skye – I did not read this
  • A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross – I did not read this
  • The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix – I did read this for the spooky book prompt of the readathon
  • A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske – I read this while on the drive up to Cardiff for a concert this month
  • The Key in the Lock by Beth Underdown – I did not read this
  • Dangerous Women by Hope Adams – I started this book in May and I am currently finishing it now
  • A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz – I did read this
  • Cecily by Annie Garthwaite – I also read this
  • Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell – and I read this

Outside of my TBR I also read Turtles All The Way Down by John Green, Newts Emerald by Garth Nix and Love Him To Death by Tanya Landman

I think I read 11 books this month which is really great and a lot better than the past few months.

That’s it for my May Wrap up, I hope you all had a good reading month. My reviews of the books that I read will be going up soon!

Monthly TBRs

May TBR!

Happy Sunday bookish people! Today is the 1st of May and I am very excited to share with you all my plans for May.

So this month is going to be another busy one I think, lots of meetings, lots of classes and a trip to Cardiff which will be fun – and will give me the travel time for reading! There is also the 48 hour bookopolothan hosted by becca and the books on youtube which I will be taking part in, last year it meant I read eight books in two days so that was fun and I’d love to try and do that again.

My books for May:

  • The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell – this is a very cute sounding middle grade that I am hoping to read early in the month
  • The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling – I love anything witchy so this already appeals to me
  • Graceling by Kristen Cashore
  • Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
  • Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey
  • Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
  • A Three Dog Problem by S J Bennett
  • The Crowns Game
  • A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
  • The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix
  • A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske
  • The Key In The Lock by Beth Underdown – I will be reading this for the short book prompt for the 48 hour challenge
  • Dangerous Women by Hope Adams
  • A Line To Kill by Anthony Horowitz
  • Cecily by Annie Garthwaite – I will be using this for the gods prompt for the 48 hour challenge because of the amount of religion in historical fiction of this period
  • Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell – I have already started reading this one and I am loving it

I am really looking forward to getting started with these books (well technically I already have). Have you read any of these books? what did you think of them?

Book Tags

Mother’s Day Book Tag!

Happy Friday bookish people! Next weekend is Mother’s Day and so I thought why not have a look and see if there are any Mother’s Day themed book tags around and I found one on YouTube by blissful and bookish so that is what I will be doing for you today.

Best Friend: Pick characters in a book whose friendship you admire the most:

For this one I went with Irene and Kai in The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. To begin with they don’t really get along and it was great seeing the friendship start to develop and what I like most about it is that they have seen the worst of each other and still they are there when the other needs them.

Comfort: what’s a book that always puts you in a better mood:

For this one I chose Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson because it is one of my favourite books and no matter what mood I am in or what has happened it always makes me feel calmer when I read it.

Doesn’t Give Up: What’s a book that you were tempted to DNF but instead finished:

I chose The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater because I didn’t love the book and I found it took me a long time to read it but I don’t like to DNF books so I pushed on and I did end up giving it three stars and I will read the rest of the series.

Selfless: What’s a book that you had to sacrifice for:

I went with the Queen of Nothing because I sacrificed having a complete set of paperbacks because I couldn’t wait to read the final book in the series so I bought it in hardback as soon as it came out.

Love: What’s your favourite love story:

I had to go with Caraval, the characters of Scarlett and Julian, by Stephanie Garber. Definitely my favourite love story even though it isn’t a romance book.

Homemaker: If you could live with a fictional family whose home would you go to:

I would go and live with the Brown Sisters in Talia Hibbert’s novels because they seem very supportive and fun and I don’t know anyone quite like them in real life.

Forgiving: name a character you hate but would eventually have to forgive:

I had to go for Eli Ever from Vicious by V E Schwaab, although don’t actually have a reason for it, I just think I would end up forgiving him.

Teacher: name a book that has taught you thins that will stay with you forever

I chose Stalking Jack the Ripper because it taught me that you don’t have to fit yourself into society’s expectations.

Dedication: what’s a book that you would like to dedicate to your mum and why:

I struggled with this one, I was looking for a title that would resemble this question but I couldn’t find one so I went with a book series that I think my mum would enjoy reading which is the Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices) series by Cassandra Clare.

That’s it for this book tag, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Uncategorized

The Most Beautiful Books I Own

Happy Friday bookish people! I can’t believe it is March already! I thought it might be fun to share with you all some of the books I own that I think have beautiful covers.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

Shadow and Bone Collectors Edition by Leigh Bardugo

Where Dreams Descend and When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Traitors Ruin by Erin Beaty

The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

Lily by Rose Tremain

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The Hatmakers and The Mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

That’s it for this post, I hope you enjoyed it. What are some of your most beautiful books?

Monthly Wrap Ups

January Wrap Up!

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you all had a lovely January. If you have seen any of my recent posts here on my Instagram posts (@the_blind_scribe) you will know that my January has been full of ups and downs, honestly mostly downs. After being unwell for most of it and then my partner and I breaking up and having to move back in with my parents I barely read anything in January.

So, onto my January Wrap-up!

  • Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte – I did not read
  • A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik – I did not read
  • Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert – I did read!
  • Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare – I did not read
  • Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody – I did not read
  • Daughters of Night by Laura Shepard Robinson – I have recently started to read this, I won’t finish it by the end of the month but I am really enjoying the atmosphere and the lead female character so far.
  • The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – I have not read
  • Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff – I did not get around to reading
  • European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss – I have read the first 20 pages or so of this book and I am enjoying it but I wasn’t in the right mood for it this month because of everything happening.
  • Finale by Stephanie Garber – I did not read
  • Furyborn by Claire Legrand – I did not read
  • The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah – I did read this!
  • Nevernight by Jay Kristoff – I did not read this
  • Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty – I did not read this
  • Pages and Co Tilly and the Lost Fairytales – I did read this!
  • Queenslayer by Sebastien De Castell – I did not read this
  • Shadowscent by P M Freestone – I did not read this
  • The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman – I did not read
  • The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – I did not read
  • The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – I did not read
  • The Plague Letters by V L Valentine – I did not read
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – I did not read

I also read The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree and The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton which wasn’t on my TBR. So that means I read six books and I started two more so I am actually really happy with the amount that I ended up reading this month.

That’s it for this wrap up I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly TBRs

January TBR!

Happy Tuesday bookish people! It’s the first month of the new year and it is time to share what I hope to be reading this month. I feel like I want to read a lot this month so far, I am hoping this will continue throughout the month and I’ll have a great month to start the year.

My January TBR:

  • The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – I am really excited to read this book, I bought it with some vouchers I got for Christmas and it should be arriving today.
  • Furyborn by Claire Legrand – I’m not sure what I will think of this book but I want to read more outside of my comfort zone this year
  • Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell – I am so close to finishing this series and I think this book will be another great one just like the rest of the series.
  • Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert – I will say at the time of writing this that I have actually finished reading this book and completed the Brown Sisters trilogy!
  • Daughters of Night by Laura Shepard-Robinson – A good Victorian mystery, that’s just what I want to read right now.
  • Shadowscent by P M Freestone – this is another book that I am not sure what to make of it yet but I hope I will enjoy it.
  • The Plague Letters by V L Valentine – a historical murder mystery, it sounds so different and intriguing and I am excited to get into it.
  • Nevernight by Jay Kristoff – I am hoping that I will be able to get into this book easily.
  • Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah – I read one of the books in her Poirot series and enjoyed it so hopefully the rest of the series will be the same.
  • The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – I loved his other book and a murder mystery set on a boat sounds intriguing.
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – It is time I got around to reading this book.
  • Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody – I love any book to do with a circus or carnival so I have high hopes.
  • European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss – I have already started this one and just like the first book in the series, I am already immersed in the world.
  • Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte – I don’t actually know much about this book.
  • Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – I started reading her other book and ended up putting it down so I hope I will have better luck with this book.
  • Pages and Co 2 by Anna James – this is a lovely series of books that I am excited to continue.
  • The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman – another series that has a brilliant world that I want to get back to.
  • Finale by Stephanie Garber – finally I am hoping to finish up the caraval series!
  • A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik – I’ve heard mixed things about this book but I am still interested in reading it.
  • Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare – this is an intimidating book but I am excited to get around to it
  • Empire of the Vampire – another book I’m not sure about but I have heard great things.
  • Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty – I am excited to read more mysteries this month.

That’s it for my January TBR, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Bookmas 2021

Merry Bookmas Day 27 – 27th December – 2022 Most Anticipated Books

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I want to show you the books being published in 2022 that I am very highly anticipating. This is a really fun post to make, I also love looking at other people’s version of this so I hope you all enjoy looking at mine just as much as I like looking at other people’s lists.

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This Woven Kingdom by Taherah Mafi

Glorious Poison by Kat Dunn

Gallant by V E Schwab

An Impossible Imposter by Deanna raybourn

Bloodmarket by Tracey Deonn

Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman

All the Queens men by S J Bennett

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni

The mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant

I was going to add pictures of the books, even though not all the covers have been released yet, but for some reason my laptop did not want to do that today so instead you’ve got just a list of the books, I hope that’s okay!

Are any of these on your list of anticipated 2022 books?

Bookmas 2021

Merry Bookmas Day 14 – 14th December – Books I wish I’d got to this year

Happy Tuesday bookish people! Merry Bookmas day 14! Today I will be sharing with you ten books that I wish I had gotten around to reading in 2021. There are way more than ten of these but that would be come a really really long blog post. So I have limited it to just ten.

And they are:

Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angelles

Where Dreams Descend: A Novel: 1 (Kingdom of Cards) : Angeles, Janella:  Amazon.co.uk: Books

In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.

As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.

The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost

The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told

The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide

Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus: a novel: Amazon.co.uk: Morgenstern, Erin: 9780099554790:  Books

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel : Cassandra Clare : 9781406393279 : Blackwell's

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them…

The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Diviners (The Diviners, #1) by Libba Bray

SOMETHING DARK AND EVIL HAS AWAKENED… Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries her uncle will discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho is hiding a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened…

A Winters Promise by Christelle Dabos

A Winter's Promise: The Mirror Visitor Book 1 (The Mirror Visitor Quartet,  1) : Dabos, Christelle, Serle, Hildegarde: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Long ago, following a cataclysm called “The Rupture,” the world was shattered into many floating celestial islands. Known now as Arks, each has developed in distinct ways; each seems to possess its own unique relationship to time, such that nowadays vastly different worlds exist, together but apart. And over all of the Arks the spirit of an omnipotent ancestor abides.

Ophelia lives on Anima, an ark where objects have souls. Beneath her worn scarf and thick glasses, the young girl hides the ability to read and communicate with the souls of objects, and the power to travel through mirrors. Her peaceful existence on the Ark of Anima is disrupted when she is promised in marriage to Thorn, from the powerful Dragon clan. Ophelia must leave her family and follow her fiancée to the floating capital on the distant Ark of the Pole. Why has she been chosen? Why must she hide her true identity? Though she doesn’t know it yet, she has become a pawn in a deadly plot.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

The Once and Future Witches: Amazon.co.uk: Harrow, Alix E: 9780316422048:  Books

In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters–James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna–join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.

Furyborn by Claire LeGrand

Furyborn: The Empirium Trilogy Book 1 (The Empirium Trilogy, 1) : Legrand,  Claire: Amazon.co.uk: Books

The stunningly original, must-read fantasy of 2018 follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world…or doom it.

When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed…unless the trials kill her first.

One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable–until her mother vanishes. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain and discovers that the evil at the empire’s heart is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world–and of each other.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Throne of Glass: Sarah J. Maas: 1 : Maas, Sarah J.: Amazon.co.uk: Books

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her … but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead … quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel | Waterstones

England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

The Box in the Woods: 4 (Truly Devious, 4) : Johnson, Maureen:  Amazon.co.uk: Books

The Truly Devious series continues as Stevie Bell investigates her first mystery outside of Ellingham Academy in this spine-chilling and hilarious stand-alone mystery.

Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder. After catching a killer at her high school, she’s back at home for a normal (that means boring) summer.

But then she gets a message from the owner of Sunny Pines, formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls—the site of the notorious unsolved case, the Box in the Woods Murders. Back in 1978, four camp counselors were killed in the woods outside of the town of Barlow Corners, their bodies left in a gruesome display. The new owner offers Stevie an invitation: Come to the camp and help him work on a true crime podcast about the case.

Stevie agrees, as long as she can bring along her friends from Ellingham Academy. Nothing sounds better than a summer spent together, investigating old murders.

But something evil still lurks in Barlow Corners. When Stevie opens the lid on this long-dormant case, she gets much more than she bargained for. The Box in the Woods will make room for more victims. This time, Stevie may not make it out alive.

That’s it, that’s ten of the books that I wish I had gotten around to reading this year but never did. Hopefully next year!