Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Releases of 2017 Thus Far!

 

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly book blog meme hosted by the lovely girls over at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is the best books we've read in 2017 so far. I've decided to narrow this down to my favorite 2017 releases of the year, meaning only books that have been published this year. Some of these will probably pop up on some of my end-of-year surveys/lists, so I'll keep my descriptions brief. So, here are my six favorite 2017 releases so far!

The Empire's Ghost by Isabelle Steiger - Review
This new epic fantasy was so good and full of incredible dialogue that I loved. The world is fantastic and despite this book appearing to be a lot of setup for later books in the series, I still found it so engaging.

Lost Boy by Christina Henry - Review coming 7/3
This book, which retells the story of Captain Hook and how he came to be, may have broken my heart a little bit. Or a lot. This book was brutal and beautiful at the same time and I loved every minute of it.

Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey
Another beautifully written story. I felt the characters were written so well and the development of Caliban's character was heart-wrenching and I just loved him to pieces. 

The Dragon's Legacy by Deborah A. Wolf - Review
Another incredible new fantasy that introduced a complex and exciting new world. I really can't wait for more!

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
This was easily one of the best trilogy/series-conclusions I've read. It was so beautiful, heartbreaking, and epic. If you haven't picked up this series yet, I highly recommend it!

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

This might be an unpopular pick, but I loved this final addition to the ACOTAR series. I thought it was witty, gripping, and completely brought me back to the world and characters that I so fell in love with in previous books. 

Read any of these ones? What are some of your favorite 2017 releases so far?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Anticipated 2017 Debut Releases

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly book blog meme hosted by the lovely girls over at The Broke and the Bookish.

There are quite a few amazing debuts coming out this year, but here are just a few of the ones I am looking forward to! (The title says 'Top Ten,' but there's actually twelve, so... I'm sorry?)  I was actually glad this was only for debuts, because if it was just 2017 releases in general, then this list would have been about a thousand times harder to do...

Stephen Florida by Gabe Habash | June 13th, 2017
I don't a whole lot about this book, but I keep seeing snippets about it pop up, and I think it should be an interesting read. I'm also a pretty huge fan of that cover!

Caravel by Stephanie Garber | January 31st, 2017
This book is so hyped and that worries me a little bit, but I'm really hoping it lives up to the hype!

City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson | January 24th, 2017
I'm really excited for this book that is set in Kenya! That's not a setting I often get to read, so I am very interested to find out how the rest of the story is. :)

Heartstone by Elle Katharine White | January 17th, 2017
So this one is being marketed as a remake of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in a fantasy world of dragons and wyverns and other fun fantasy stuff. I really have no idea what else to expect, but it sounds good enough to me!

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody | July 25th, 2017
"A darkly irresistible new fantasy set in the infamous Gomorrah Festival, a traveling carnival of debauchery that caters to the strangest of dreams and desires." A Gomorrah Festival? A traveling carival of debauchery? A millions times, yes!

Siren Sisters by Dana Langer | January 3rd, 2017
This is about a group of sisters that are, yep, sirens, who spend their time " secretly luring ships to their doom" when they're not in school. Uhm, yes please.

Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett | 2017
"Set in a fictional Himalayan kingdom, this is the story of a girl enlisted by a legendary explorer to help him climb the kingdom’s deadliest mountain – only to discover that his true mission may threaten her whole world." Sign me up!

Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts | June 6th, 2017
This sounds like a very promising fantasy book with much political discord, and I'm anxiously awaiting the cover reveal!

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller | February 28th, 2017
I need more pirates! And this one involves a girl who intentionally gets herself kidnapped by enemy pirates, so... I think this could be pretty good.

Idaho by Emily Ruskovich | February 16th, 2017
This sounds like a really good literary fiction family secret sort of thing, and I can't wait to read it! From what I gather, it's about a family that drives to the woods to get some firewood, something shocking happens, and the family sort of breaks up.

The Beast Is An Animal by Peternelle van Arsdale | March 7th, 2017
'Soul eaters' that devour human souls? A pair of sisters? I have no idea, but this sounds great and I am digging that cover!

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui | March 7th, 2017
This is a graphic novel featuring the journey of a Vietnam family as the attempt to flee the country in the 1970s. I don't know nearly as much about Vietnam or this era in history for them, so I think this will be a difficult but worthwhile read.

(and a bonus because I just discovered this one after I made the list and you know what, I wanted to include it): Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan | March 14th, 2017
As Kirkus reviews succinctly says, "Guest workers of the United Arab Emirates embody multiple worlds and identities and long for home in a fantastical debut work of fiction." I think this will be a great new insight into another culture, and I just really think this will be an important book to read.

Are you looking forward to any of these? What are your anticipated 2017 debuts?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2017

op Ten Tuesday is weekly book blog meme hosted by the lovely girls over at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is the most anticipated releases of the first half of 2017! Now, there are a lot of books that I'm looking forward to in 2017, so this list has been narrowed down immensely, and as a result seems to be mainly fantasy/historical fiction - and there are fifteen sixteen in this list instead of ten.  Whoops. Suffice to say, there are some promising books coming out next year, and here are some of the ones I'm most looking forward to!

1. A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab
Publication Date: February 21st
I'm actually reading A Gathering of Shadows right now, but I can already tell that I'm going to love it just as much as the first book, and I can't wait for the next installment!

2. Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan
Publication Date: March 7th, 2017
I haven't read McClellan's other work yet, and I'm not sure if that matters since this is set in the same fantasy world, but I am still really interested in the premise of this book.

3. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Publication Date: March 28th
Laini Taylor has suggest gorgeous prose, and the summary of this book is also captivating - I can't wait to dive back into her work.

4. The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova

Publication Date: January 10th

5. Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
Publication Date: April 14th
Ah, another school where they train girls to be killers - why do I love these books? I'm not sure, but I'm really excited!

6. Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George
Publication Date: March 7th
Historical fiction about Nero and it's by Margaret George (author Helen of Troy, which is gorgeous)? I'm in.

7. The Competition by Donna Russo Morin
Publication Date: April 25th
The Competition is about a group of women learning to pain under Leonardo da Vinci, which was most definitely not allowed at the time. I am immensely intrigued by this historical fiction.

8. The Vanishing by Sophia Tobin
Publication Date: January 12th
There are a lot of things that intrigue me about this book, but it's set in a lonely mansion on the Yorkshire Moors, and that alone just makes me want to curl up with this book.



9. Valiant by Lesley Livingston
Publication Date: February 14th
Female gladiators! I don't care if that's realistic or not, I love Ancient Roman settings and a gladiator school for girls headed by Julius Caesar sounds pretty much perfect.



10. The Crown's Fate by Evelyn Skye
Publication Date: May 16th
I really enjoyed The Crown's Game, and I am eager to find out what is happening next with our characters.

11. Here Lies Daniel Tate by Cristin Terrill
Publication Date: June 6th
I'm not even going to try to relay the plot summary here, but this sounds like quite a mysterious story, and I haven't read many books that sounds like this one!



12. The Empire's Ghosts by Isabelle Steiger
Publication Date: May 16th
The Empire's Ghosts is a new epic fantasy series by a promising new debut author that I am looking forward to checking out!


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13. A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden
Publication Date: June 20th
This is historical fantasy set in Viking Age Britain, and that's really all I need to know (but the rest of the summary sounds just as great!)



14. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: May 2nd
After that ending in A Court of Mist and Fury, I think it's safe to assume that this book is a must-read.



15. Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

Publication Date: June 13th



16. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Publication Date: February 7th
I can't believe I almost forgot to add this to my list! I am so excited for Neil Gaiman's take on Norse Mythology; this seems like it is right up his writing alley!


Are you excited for any of these upcoming releases? What books are you excited for in 2017?

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