Top Ten Tuesday: Anticipated Releases

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  It is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and you can find the list of topics on her page HERE.

I haven't participated in Top Ten Tuesday in a while but I have really been missing making lists of books now that it appears Top 5 Wednesday is on a semi-permanent hiatus.  While I may not make it a weekly thing, I am excited to participate in Top Ten Tuesday!

This week's prompt is the the books we are most anticipating for the first half of 2020.  This is the perfect prompt for me right now because there are so many releases coming out just between today and the end of February that I am having a hard time narrowing down the list of books I will be picking up! So in order of release here are my most anticipated releases coming up . . .

January 7th

If this isn't on your radar, it should be! I was lucky enough to receive an eARC and it totally sucked me in! I will be picking up a finish copy of Nameless Queen!

"One girl must make a name for herself--or die trying --in this royal fantasy where an unknown peasant becomes the ultimate ruler. But how long can she keep the crown if everyone wants her dead? Perfect for fans of Furyborn, Red Queen, and Everless.

Everyone expected the king's daughter would inherit the throne. No one expected me.

It shouldn't even be possible. I'm Nameless, a class of citizens so disrespected, we don't even get names. Heck, dozens of us have been going missing for months and no one seems to care.

But there's no denying the tattoo emblazoned on my arm. I am queen. In a palace where the corridors are more dangerous the streets, though, how could I possibly rule? And what will become of the Nameless if I don't?"

February 1st

I really enjoyed Linsey Miller's previous duology, she gave us some really unique characters.  Then she started teasing about this book in her newsletters and finally it is almost here!! I do have an ARC of Belle Revolte that I hope to be starting next week!

"Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome wor.

Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.

Emilie and Annette swap lives—Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.

But when their nation instigates a frivolous war, Emilie and Annette must work together to help the rebellion end a war that is based on lies."

February 4th

A Blight of Blackwings has to be #1 on my list of most anticipated books this year, I have been waiting for it since March 2018! It is the sequel to A Plague of Giants which rekindled my love for adult fantasy books and made those giant 600+ page books not so scary.  I do have an eARC of this one that I can't wait to get to but I want to re-read A Plague of Giants first.

"SOLDIER AND AVENGER

Daryck is from a city that was devastated by the war with the Bone Giants, and now he and a band of warriors seek revenge against the giants for the loved ones they lost. But will vengeance be enough to salve their grief?

DREAMER AND LEADER

Hanima is part of a new generation with extraordinary magical talents: She can speak to fantastical animals. But when this gift becomes a threat to the powers-that-be, Hanima becomes the leader of a movement to use this magic to bring power to the people.

SISTER AND SEEKER

Koesha is the captain of an all-female crew on a perilous voyage to explore unknown waters. Though Koesha's crew is seeking a path around the globe, Koesha is also looking for her sister, lost at sea two years ago. But what lies beyond the edges of the map is far more dangerous than storms and sea monsters. . . .

In this sequel to A Plague of Giants, these characters and more will become the voices of a new generation bringing hope and revolution to a war-torn world"

February 11th

It is not often that a debut ends up on my most anticipated lists but the cover and synopsis for The Unspoken Name certainly has my attention! The early reviews seem to be extremely favorable and I can't wait to read it for myself.

"What if you knew how and when you will die?

Csorwe does — she will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice.

But on the day of her foretold death, a powerful mage offers her a new fate. Leave with him, and live. Turn away from her destiny and her god to become a thief, a spy, an assassin—the wizard's loyal sword. Topple an empire, and help him reclaim his seat of power.

But Csorwe will soon learn – gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due."

March 3rd

I loved the Winner's Curse trilogy by Marie Rutkoski and have been eagerly awaiting a new book from her and it is almost here! I don't know about you but I can't wait for The Midnight Lie.

"Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences.

Nirrim keeps her head down and a dangerous secret close to her chest.

But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away who whispers rumors that the High Caste possesses magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.

Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, beloved author Marie Rutkoski returns with an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves."

April 30th

While, like many others, I didn't think Holy Sister lived up to the rest of the Book of the Ancestor Trilogy, I am still anxiously awaiting The Girl and the Stars, set in the same world.

"In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown.

On Abeth the vastness of the ice holds no room for individuals. Survival together is barely possible. No one survives alone.

To resist the cold, to endure the months of night when even the air itself begins to freeze, requires a special breed. Variation is dangerous, difference is fatal. And Yaz is not the same.

Yaz is torn from the only life she’s ever known, away from her family, from the boy she thought she would spend her days with, and has to carve out a new path for herself in a world whose existence she never suspected. A world full of difference and mystery and danger.

Yaz learns that Abeth is older and stranger than she had ever imagined. She learns that her weaknesses are another kind of strength. And she learns to challenge the cruel arithmetic of survival that has always governed her people.

Only when it’s darkest you can see the stars."

May 5th

I am beyond excited for a new Murderbot book, and this time a full length novel! I cannot wait to see where we go and in what trouble Murderbot finds itself in Network Effect.

"Murderbot returns in its highly-anticipated, first, full-length standalone novel.

You know that feeling when you’re at work, and you’ve had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you're a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you're Murderbot.

Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. you’ll read this century.

—

I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.

When Murderbot's human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then."

May 5th

YES! We get another Padme book! I am so glad that we are getting more time in her mind and her world, she is such an underappreciated character! I am so ready for Queen's Peril!

"When fourteen-year-old Padmé Naberrie wins the election for Queen of Naboo, she adopts the name Amidala and leaves her family to the rule from the royal palace. To keep her safe and secure, she’ll need a group of skilled handmaidens who can be her assistants, confidantes, defenders, and decoys. Each girl is selected for her particular talents, but it will be up to Padmé to unite them as a group. When Naboo is invaded by forces of the Trade Federation, Queen Amidala and her handmaidens will face the greatest test–of themselves, and of each other."

May 5th

If you didn't already know, I am a big Katherine Applegate fan, so when I saw The One and Only Bob listed with a release date I immediately went out and pre-ordered it!

"Return to the unforgettable world of the Newbery Medal-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling novel The One and Only Ivan (soon to be a major motion picture!) in this incredible sequel, starring Ivan’s friend Bob!

Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family.

Bob, Ivan, and Ruby have touched the hearts of millions of readers, and their story isn’t over yet."

June 23rd

I haven't read the Queen's Rising by Ross, but I really am looking forward to Sisters of Sword and Song.  I am a big fan of sibling bonds in books and it sounds like this will have a great one!

"After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.

Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death."

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And because I can't seem to leave it at that (or follow the rules) here are a few honorable mentions that I am also anxiously awaiting:

  

  

  

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Of course, this could never be a complete list.  I have purposely left off some of the most popular anticipated books because I feel like some of these other books need to be raved about a little bit more!  Clearly my list is also skewed to the fantasy genre, I never realized how much I am pulled to those books.

What are some of your most anticipated books for the first half of the year? Were any of these on your list too? Or have I just added to your list of books to purchase/borrow?