As always, I very most likely have about 5 or 15 choices to go through. This time I’m only choosing 5 that I really wanted to go through this year and will now (unfortunately) be pushed to the ‘concept’ of next year (because how can we be so close to 2023 but I’m here still thinking of like 2019 haha).
Thank you to Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads for giving us the last month of prompts! I’ve missed basically the entire of November because I’ve been attempting NaNoWriMo (which I’m most certainly going to miss but it’s more about just writing and not pushing yourself to finish by a set goal. I’ve set another goal (31st December) so we’ll see how that goes.
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A War of Swallowed Stars by Sangu Mandanna (GR/SG) – Absolutely one of my favourite series but yes, I haven’t read the last book (this one). Probably because I know it’ll make me cry buckets. So I guess I’m just… waiting until I think I won’t cry as much? Which doesn’t make sense because I will cry a bunch either way. Spoilers for the third book in the series!
A prince without his kingdom.
A kingdom without its princess.
The destruction of the stars themselves.
War is destroying the galaxy. Esmae has vanished without a trace. A terrifying, ravenous beast is devouring the stars one by one. Titania is offered a gift that may well be a curse. Alexi, the exiled prince, is asked to pay a heavy price for his mistakes. And far, far away, on a dark, mysterious planet, a sleeping god stirs awake.
War or family.
Pride or peace.
As the end of the world draws ever closer, Esmae and Alexi must decide how far they’ll go to win—and who they’ll sacrifice along the way.
The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood (GR/SG) – I… am very much a bad person and I should read this… Just not before the end of this year!
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. On the day of her foretold death, however, a powerful mage offers her a new fate.
Csorwe leaves her home, her destiny, and her god to become the wizard’s loyal sword-hand — stealing, spying, and killing to help him reclaim his seat of power in the homeland from which he was exiled.
But Csorwe and the wizard will soon learn – gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (GR/SG) – I seem to remember that I said I’d read this January 2022 so…January 2023? I’ll keep you updated when I know what I’m doing myself 😂
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.
The Project by Courtney Summers (GR/SG) – Honestly I don’t know if I’ll like it. Mysteries/thrillers are proving to be very hit or miss for me and I don’t think think it matters whether its Adult or Young Adult. But we’ll see.
Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died in a tragic car accident, her sister Bea joined the elusive community called The Unity Project, leaving Lo to fend for herself. Desperate not to lose the only family she has left, Lo has spent the last six years trying to reconnect with Bea, only to be met with radio silence.
When Lo’s given the perfect opportunity to gain access to Bea’s reclusive life, she thinks they’re finally going to be reunited. But it’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t want to be found, and as Lo delves deeper into The Project and its charismatic leader, she begins to realize that there’s more at risk than just her relationship with Bea: her very life might be in danger.
As she uncovers more questions than answers at each turn, everything Lo thought she knew about herself, her sister, and the world is upended. One thing doesn’t change, though, and that’s what keeps her going: Bea needs her, and Lo will do anything to save her.
From Courtney Summers, the New York Times bestselling author of the 2019 Edgar Award Winner and breakout hit Sadie, comes her electrifying follow-up—a suspenseful, pulls-no-punches story about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister no matter the cost.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (GR/SG) – I have no idea if this is now a finished duology or if there’ll be more but either way I know I really need to get to reading this.
Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.
Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama’s betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.
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I definitely think all these will only be reading these next year because I do have like 3 or 9 more books I want to get to before the end of the year. You know how it is!
DB's Guide to the Galaxy 