Sunday, April 12, 2020

My Most Anticipated Releases of 2020

The title says it all! It’s time for me to list my most anticipated releases of 2020. Yes, I realize 2020 is already four months underway. I’m just behind. So very behind. But now I have the time to catch up. Yay!

Because I’m a little late, I do have one most anticipated book that won’t be on this list, as it’s already out. That is House of Blood and Earth by Sarah J. Maas. SJM’s books aren’t usually in my most-anticipated lists, but I’ve really been into new adult urban fantasy lately. I think it’s because I want to write my own, and SJM’s books always inspire so many ideas. I haven’t read HoBaE yet, as I’m waiting as long as I can possibly stand so that the sequel release date will be closer.

Now, onto the rest of the list! And just fyi, none of these releases are in any particular order. I couldn’t decide between which ones I coveted more.

House of Dragons
(House of Dragons #1)
Publication Date: May 12, 2017
Hardcover, 448 pages, Random House
Genres: YA, Fantasy

Five royal houses will hear the call to compete in the Trial for the dragon throne. A liar, a soldier, a servant, a thief, and a murderer will answer it. Who will win?

When the Emperor dies, the five royal houses of Etrusia attend the Call, where one of their own will be selected to compete for the throne. It is always the oldest child, the one who has been preparing for years to compete in the Trial. But this year is different. This year, these five outcasts will answer the call....

THE LIAR: Emilia must hide her dark magic or be put to death.

THE SOLDIER: Lucian is a warrior who has sworn to never lift a sword again.

THE SERVANT: Vespir is a dragon trainer whose skills alone will keep her in the game.

THE THIEF: Ajax knows that nothing is free--he must take what he wants.

THE MURDERER: Hyperia was born to rule and will stop at nothing to take her throne.

My Thoughts

I miss Daenerys Targaryen. And Jon Snow. And just Game of Thrones in general. Season eight was an epic letdown, but the world aesthetic was still absolutely amazing, and I’m hoping this book can capture just half of GoT’s magnificence. (Note: I haven’t read the A Song of Ice and Fire books yet. I’m working on it.)

I just hope this series has cool characters and dragons. Is that too much to ask for? I don’t think so.

***

Reign
(Stormheart #3)
Publication Date: August 20, 2020
Hardcover, 432 pages, Tor Teen
Genres: YA, Fantasy

FIRST SHE ROARED. THEN SHE RAGED. NOW IT'S TIME FOR HER REIGN.

Aurora Pavan wanted to change her world.

She wanted to protect her people, not because they paid taxes, but because they deserved to live without fear. She wanted Pavan to be a home that welcomed everyone--remnants, stormhunters, and witches included.

For the first time in her life, she did not dread the duty into which she was born. She wanted it.

Then she met him. The Stormlord--the man who wielded the same magic as she, but with the intent to destroy rather than save. The Aurora Pavan who came home from that confrontation was not the same girl that had braved the wildlands and joined a rebellion. She was no longer the girl who was ready to change the world, ready to rule.

But she's the queen now all the same. And her kingdom needs her.

If only she can keep the new darkness inside her at bay.

My Thoughts

I feel like I read Roar so very long ago, and I haven’t picked up Rage yet. I’m planning on re-reading the first book and then bingeing books two and three right after. It’s going to be a glorious, fantasy-filled adventure. I love the aesthetic of this YA trilogy, so I can’t wait to see what Cora’s done with the world in these last two installments. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the covers are gorgeous.

***

Chosen Ones
(The Chosen Ones #1)
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
Hardcover, 432 pages, John Joseph Adams
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

A decade ago near Chicago, five teenagers defeated the otherworldly enemy known as the Dark One, whose reign of terror brought widespread destruction and death. The seemingly un-extraordinary teens—Sloane, Matt, Ines, Albie, and Esther—had been brought together by a clandestine government agency because one of them was fated to be the “Chosen One,” prophesized to save the world. With the goal achieved, humankind celebrated the victors and began to mourn their lost loved ones.

Ten years later, though the champions remain celebrities, the world has moved forward and a whole, younger generation doesn’t seem to recall the days of endless fear. But Sloane remembers. It’s impossible for her to forget when the paparazzi haunt her every step just as the Dark One still haunts her dreams. Unlike everyone else, she hasn’t moved on; she’s adrift—no direction, no goals, no purpose. On the eve of the Ten Year Celebration of Peace, a new trauma hits the Chosen: the death of one of their own. And when they gather for the funeral at the enshrined site of their triumph, they discover to their horror that the Dark One’s reign never really ended..

My Thoughts

I’m cheating a little bit, since Chosen Ones already came out this week. However, I haven’t bought it yet, so it counts, right? (I’m holding off on buying more books until I’ve read more of the ones I already own. I'm trying to knock out some of TBR books during this lockdown situation.)

I’ve actually heard a lot of mixed things about this one, so I’m nervous. I just thought the concept sounded so cool and unique. Following YA heroes after they’ve fulfilled their destiny to see how messed up their lives are as adults is fascinating to me.

***

A Sky Beyond the Storm
(An Ember in the Ashes #4)
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Hardcover, 464 pages, Penguin Random House
Genres: YA, Fantasy

Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off...

The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.

At his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.

Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory--or to an unimaginable doom.

And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life--and love--he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save--or destroy--all that he knows.

My Thoughts

I have to admit, I haven’t read An Ember in the Ashes yet. I’m super glad that I held off, though, since Sabaa has taken longer than average to get her sequels out. It’s totally fine. I actually wish more authors were allowed to take an extra bit of time to get their books right rather than rush their writing, but I knew the wait would be brutal on my nerves. I’m so happy that I’ll be able to binge-read the series at the end of this year. I’m hoping to get a nice boxset of all four hardcovers with the new cover designs too.

***

Rage & Ruin
(The Harbinger #2)
Publication Date: May 16, 2020
Hardcover, 576 pages, Inkyard Pres
Genres: YA, Paranormal

Half-angel Trinity and her bonded gargoyle protector, Zayne, have been working with demons to stop the apocalypse while avoiding falling in love. The Harbinger is coming…but who or what is it? All of humankind may fall if Trinity and Zayne can’t win the race against time as dark forces gather.

As tensions rise, they must stay close together and patrol the DC streets at night, seeking signs of the Harbinger, an entity that is killing Wardens and demons with no seeming rhyme or reason. Forbidden to be with each other, Zayne and Trinity fight their feelings and turn to unusual sources for help—the demon Roth and his cohorts. But as deaths pile up and they uncover a sinister plot involving the local high school and endangering someone dear to Zayne, Trin realizes she is being led…herded…played for some unknown end. As anger builds and feelings spiral out of control, it becomes clear that rage may be the ruin of them all.

My Thoughts

Okay, I lied. One of the books on this list can be ranked. Rage & Ruin is my most anticipated book of 2020. I neeeeeed it. I finished Storm & Fury in January, and it was everything I’d hoped for. It got me out of a reading slump and forced me to pick up every JLA book I had been putting off for God-knows-what-reason. But yeah, I’m just excited to read about Trinity and Zayne’s next adventures. And hopefully there’ll be more Roth. ;)

***

There you have it. Those are my most anticipated 2020 releases.

Let me know some of your most anticipated releases of the year! Have you already read one? Sound off in the comments below!

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