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 #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.
***
(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.
***
(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!
