Most Anticipated Books of 2016

So we're nearing the end of 2015 - where has the time gone? I hope you all had a good Christmas! As we get to the end of the year, what better time to look forward to some of the upcoming releases for 2016. And there are some good ones coming! All of the images, synopsis' and publication dates are from Goodreads, so I don't own them and they could change.

 LADY MIDNIGHT BY CASSANDRA CLARE (Dark Artifices #1) ~

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

We're heading back to the Shadow world and I'm so excited. I'm currently reading Clockwork Princess (yes, finally!) so I'm more than excited for this new series. I believe there's also going to be a follow-up to the Infernal Devices series which is coming in a couple of years so there's plenty of opportunity to delve back into Cassandra Clare's amazing world.
 According to Goodreads, the expected publication date is March 8th 2016.

A COURT OF MIST & FURY BY SARAH J. MAAS (ACOTAR #2) ~ Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

If you've read my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses then you'll know I'm slightly hesitant to pick this sequel up (purely because I ship Feyre and Tamlin so hard) but it does sound amazing and I will likely pick it up when it comes out next year.
 According to Goodreads, the expected publication date is May 3rd 2016.

THE RAVEN KING BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER (RAVEN CYCLE #4) ~ All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

I am so excited for the conclusion to this series. It was supposed to come out this year but was pushed back to next year because Maggie wanted more time to make it right. This series is one of my favourites and if you've been put off reading Maggie's books because of the Shiver trilogy, pick this series up and give her another try. As seen by the synopsis on Goodreads (and therefore above), we don't really know much about what is going to happen in this final book but it promises to be epic!
 According to Goodreads, the expected publication date is April 26th 2016.

HEARTLESS BY MARISSA MEYER ~ Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favourite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

I'm waiting for Scarlett and Cress to come to my local library (they're popular books!) so that I can finish reading that series but this is a brand new series(?) from Marissa Meyer and it sounds really interesting. Another take on a classic story and I'm really intrigued to see her take on this world.
 According to Goodreads, the expected publication date is November 8th 2016.




YELLOW BRICK WAR BY DANILLE PAIGE (DOROTHY MUST DIE #3) ~

Amy Gumm’s mission to take down Dorothy Gale is not going according to plan. Dorothy has found a way to bridge the worlds of Oz and Kansas, and if the power-hungry dictator of Oz has her way, Kansas will be destroyed forever. Now, Amy has to team up with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked to save her home, restore the balance between the magic and non-magic worlds, maybe get the guy—and kill that not-so-sweet Kansas farm girl once and for all.

I was a very luck girl this Christmas and got a lot of books (and I'll post something about that soon) and one of the books I got was Dorothy Must Die which is a book I've been dying to read for such a long time. Now with the third book coming out in 2016, it feels like the perfect time to delve into this series.

 According to Goodreads, the expected publication date is March 15th 2016.

 

THE LAST STAR BY RICK YANCEY (THE 5TH WAVE #3) ~ We’re here, then we’re gone, and that was true before they came. That’s always been true. The Others didn’t invent death; they just perfected it. Gave death a face to put back in our face, because they knew that was the only way to crush us. It won’t end on any continent or ocean, no mountain or plain, jungle or desert. It will end where it began, where it had been from the beginning, on the battlefield of the last beating human heart.

The 5th Wave is a book that has been sitting on my TBR pile for a while now and with the movie AND this third instalment coming out in 2016, I can't wait to read this series.

 According to Goodreads, the expected publication is May 24th 2016.

 

These are just a few of my most anticipated books of 2016. I wish all of you a very happy new year and may 2016 bring you all the books (and things in general) that you want! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! :)

All Images, Synopsis' and Publication Dates come from the relevant Goodreads page ~ no Copyright Intended 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 4.8 stars

Synopsis: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Review: If you remember, many months ago, I did a blog post of some of my most anticipated books of 2015 and one of them, was this book. It came out in May and, embarrassingly, it's taken me until now to read it. This is my first trip into Sarah J Maas' writing (Throne of Glass IS on my Kindle, I just need time to read it!) and, I really enjoyed it.

Now, this book was inspired in part by Beauty and the Beast and, maybe it was just me, but, until I found an interview with Sarah where she explained her inspiration, I didn't really see the connection. Our 'beast' Tamlin wasn't very beast like (on the contrary, he was really sweet) and there were no dancing teapots (although that might just be Disney's movie coming into play). Despite this though, I really enjoyed the book. The world that Sarah has created is so intriguing and different. The numerous courts and their corresponding 'High Fae leaders' was really interesting and I actually would have liked to have seen more of them.

It took me a while to warm up to Feyre. Yes, she supports her family (which, as the youngest is really not fair) but, she did seem to repeat herself a lot, especially in the first 100 or so pages. She questioned everything Tamlin did and said, despite him assuring her that she was safe and her family was being looked after. I can understand you might not trust him to begin with; but after a while it does get annoying. To be fair to Feyre though, she's never had a reason to trust anyone, not even her own family. So, that does get her a few bonus points; and she does make up for it in the final portion of the book. That was the best part in my opinion, those last 100-150 pages where Feyre really came into her own and started showing signs of being the kind of heroine I wanted her to be from page 1.
On a quick side note, I loved how Sarah used Feyre's 'weakness' in one of the challenges. I think it was something a little different and her love of painting and art that come from that weakness is intriguing and different and I really enjoyed it. I would have liked some more time spent on the particular challenge but, apart from that, I really enjoyed that aspect of Feyre's character.

Tamlin - oh Tamlin. I do love him. He's so sweet and caring and protective and everything I think Feyre needs. She's had to look after everyone else for so long, that I think Tamlin will be good for her. I can understand why some people don't like him. While I wouldn't say he's a pacifist (he does play the role of the beast after all, and so does have an aggressive nature) he's very good at controlling himself and reigning himself in which doesn't make for the most stand out character. But I loved him and I want a Tamlin. Which brings me onto my next point - I really don't want Feyre to end up with Rhysand! Rhysand is an intriguing character and I would love to learn more about him, but I really don't want him and Feyre to end up together, not after everything she's done in this book to end up with Tamlin. Yes, I ship Feylin and I'm not even sorry.

All of the characters in this book I could learn more about those. Lucien, for starters, was an amazing character and was a complete contrast to Tamlin with his sarcastic comments. He's stubborn and loud and infuriatingly sarcastic, but, he does come through for Feyre in the end, and tries to help her when Tamlin can't. Amarantha was an intriguing villain and I kind of wish we'd met her earlier. There was a lot of build up about her, throughout the book, but because of the curse, it took a while to learn about her. I really liked the idea that her and Tamlin used to be friends, but she fell in love with him. While it's not a new idea, Sarah made it feel like it was which was a pleasant surprise.

The curse itself was incredibly specific. It was almost a thinly veiled prophecy to me. Not only must you fall in love with a human but the human must kill a fey out of pure hatred and hate all of fey-kind. It did make me laugh a little when I read it but hey, I guess fey HAVE to be incredibly specific when making deals. The riddle as well wasn't particularly complex. I'm awful at riddles and I knew what the answer would be but, knowing that didn't detract from the book.

All in all, I really loved this book. It was intriguing and interesting and I loved the characters and the world. I'd really recommend this book and it's made me even more excited to start the Throne of Glass series!

Image and Synopsis from Goodreads - no Copyright intended

Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

So this is less of a review than it is just me getting really excited about this amazing book! If any of you have read any of my blog posts you will know that the Lux series is my favourite series of this year, possibly ever. Now, when Opposition came out, we all thought that that was the end of the Lux series but we were wrong. Because, on December 1st, Oblivion was released. Oblivion is Daemon's POV of Obsidian - the entire book from his POV which is awesome BUT if you buy the e-reader edition you not only get Obsidian but you also get Opal AND Onyx in Daemon's POV as well.

Now, I've had Oblivion pre-ordered since June, and if you've visited my blog recently, you'll have seen the countdown to release day so it's fair to say I was a little bit excited. And, OMG this book did not disappoint. Not only do we get three whole books in one from Daemon's POV but within that, you also get to see some never before seen scenes, for example, Daemon getting Kat to make him pancakes which I loved.

I loved getting to see some of my favourite scenes from the first three books from Daemon's POV. One of my favourites is in Opal, where Kat gets sick - I've always wondered what Daemon was thinking in that moment and...argh I loved it. I loved it all! Jennifer's writing style in these books is amazing and well...we get more Daemon Black and who doesn't want that!

Seriously, you need to read this series because it's amazing. If you want to buy Oblivion then I would recommend buying it online if you have an e-reader because you get all three books in one. If you don't have an e-reader, then you can buy a printed copy that just contains the first book in Daemon's POV. Either way, the book is incredible and I would recommend it to anyone!

Image from Goodreads - no Copyright Intended