This is a list of 10 books that are to be released this year that I’m looking forward to reading this year, if all goes well. There are so many good books coming out this year but these are the ones that are on the top of my wish list. I’ll be adding more specific category lists in the coming weeks.
The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson
Shaun David Hutchinson is one of my favorite authors so I was excited when I heard about this.
This story follows Dino whose parents own a funeral home business. Dino’s former best friend July dies suddenly and while Dino is working on her makeup, she comes back life. But she’s not alive yet not dead. So Dino and July attempt to figure out what’s happening to her.
Sounds like a super-fun book — and I believe this is due out in February.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Brigid Kemmerer is another author I really like – I loved her Elemental series that I read awhile back which I plan on rereading down the road.
I don’t know too much about this one except that it’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast— and I do so love reimaginings!
This follows Prince Rhen, who is cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over until a girl falls for him. The kicker, is that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction and has destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
But then there’s woman named Harper Lacy who enters his life, causing him to hope that there just may be a way out of his predicament.
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
I’m not that much for contemporaries, really, but this one really caught my attention.
This follows Jack and Kate who meet at a party and fall in love. But as it turns out, their love story is rather . . . complicated. Because Kate dies; yet their story doesn’t end there. For some reason, Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Healthy, alive and charming as ever. So Jack decides that if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’s gonna take it. However, Jack soon learns that his actions are not without live and death consequences.
Sounds like something I’d really enjoy.
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
This story follows Hannah, who is a powerful witch — a real witch with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself because if she’s ever caught using it in front of a non-witch, she could lose her powers for good.
But when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire and evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over town, and Hannah’s pretty sure it’s the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: her ex girlfriend Veronica. And all sorts of chaos ensues.
I love me a witchy book so I’m looking forward to this one.
Black Enough by edited Ibi Zoboi
So Black Enough is an anthology edited by Ibi Zoboi who is
by National Book Award finalist, that delves into the closeted thoughts, hidden experiences, and daily struggles of black teens across the country. There are supposedly stories from a spectrum of backgrounds— both urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants and more.
I’ve read some of the blurbs for the stories and what I’ve seen so far sounds absolutely riveting so I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
Stolen Time by Danielle Rollins
So this follows Dorothy in the year 1913 who is forced by her mother into an engagement to a wealthy man for financial reasons but she’ll do anything to escape, including sneaking away from her wedding and bolting into the woods to disappear.
Fast forward to the year 2077 where we follow Ash who is on a mission to rescue his professor/mentor who figured out the secret to time travel so that together they can put things right in their devastated city. But searching for him entails endless jumps through time.
And of course, you guessed it, Dorothy collides with Ash and ends up getting sucked to the future — or what’s left of it. Sounds intriguing! And those of you who know me know that I love time-travel novels. Hell, I even wrote one!
Superman: DawnBreaker by Matt de la Pena
This is book four in the DC Icons series but none of them are dependent on the other books — each book is its own story. I read the Batman book which I really enjoyed so I already pre-ordered this one.
So Superman: DawnBreaker follows a young Clark Kent before he becomes Superman. Kind of like Smallville maybe?
So naturally, Clark has to keep his powers hidden. But one day, he follows the sound of a girl crying and comes across Gloria Alvarez, and in so doing discovers a dark secret lurking in Smallville. Turns out, Clark’s not the only one hiding something big.
So he teams up with his best friend, Lana Lang to search for the truth of what evil really lies below the surface of Smallville? And what will it cost Clark to learn the truth about his past?
I’m an old comic book nerd from way back and Superman has always been one of my favorites, as was the TV Show Smallville. So I’m looking forward to this.
The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
I’ve read a couple of Bill’s other books, one of them being Openly Straight which I liked so I was excited to learn he has a new book coming out.
So this follows two boys, Max and Jordan. Max is chill, big into sports and video games, is gay and out to his mom and his buddies and everyone cool with it. Supposedly he had some intense encounter (sexual?) with an older kid that he doesn’t want to think about, ever, so I take it that this wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Now Jordan is the complete opposite of chill. He’s never been kissed though he is searching for Mr. Right, who, according to him, probably won’t like him anyway. He also has a spiraling out of control mother. He also believes that he’s the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.
So at some point, I gather these two meet and according to the blurb, they both have to face their biggest fears. Cool.
A Place for Wolves by Kosoko Jackson
So this follows James Mills who is pissed at his parents for dragging him away from his life, his best friend and sister, Anna and he’s feeling really, really alone at the moment.
Enter Tomas. So falling for Tomas is unexpected, but sometimes the best things in life are.
But a war that has been brewing finally bursts forward, filled with violence, pain, and cruelty and rips their world apart.
So James and Tomas can only rely on each other as they decide how far they are willing to go―and who they are willing to become―in order to make it back to their families. Sounds super intriguing and I do believe this will be out in April.
The Wise and the Wicked by Rebecca Podos
This follows Ruby Chernyavsky who has been told the stories since her childhood about the women in her family who once possessed of great magical abilities where they could remake lives and even hold off death itself.
But they were forced to flee their Russian home for America. Today, these stories seem no more real to Ruby than folktales, except for the smallest bit of power left in their blood: when each of them comes of age, she will have a vision of who she will be when she dies — a destiny that’s inescapable and inevitable.
Ruby is no exception, and neither is her mother, although her mother attempted to run away from her fate years ago, abandoning Ruby and her sisters. But you can run but you can’t hide — because there is no escaping one’s “Time”.
But then, Ruby’s great-aunt Polina passes away, and, for the first time, a Chernyavsky’s death does not match her vision. Suddenly, things Ruby never thought she’d be allowed to hope for—life, love, time—seem possible.
But as she and her cousin Cece begin to dig into the family’s history to find out whether they, too, can change their fates, they learn that nothing comes without a cost. Especially not hope.
Another witchy novel that I’m excited about.
HONORABLE MENTION: THE TOLL by Neal Shusterman.
The only reason that it’s not among my 10 list is that I don’t know if it’ll be released this year or not. This is the third book in the Arc of a Scythe series that I really loved. So if it comes out this year, I’ll be picking it up, post haste.
How about you? What new releases are you looking forward to?
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