Queen of Books

Wednesday, 25 March 2020

Spring 2020 Releases I'm Excited For

There are so many good books coming out in 2020 so I've decided to break my list down by season. In this list, I have my Spring 2020 anticipated books (which includes the months of March, April and May). I originally planned to have this post come out at the end of February but the last month has just been chaotic with the coronavirus and work and everything. I hope you enjoy anyways!

MARCH

1. Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco ~ March 3, 2020

Wicked as You Wish is about a Filipina warrior family who must protect the prince who has been assumed long dead by the racist authoritarian government in order to restore the frozen kingdom. It sounds really unique and cool and people are already reading it and enjoying it so I am excited.

2. The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski ~ March 3, 2020

Marie Rutkoski wrote The Winner's Curse trilogy which I really enjoyed so this book was an automatic add to my TBR. This is also set in the world of The Winner's Curse which makes me so excited! This is about Nirrim who lives in a place where crime and poverty are abound and there are severe penalties for stepping out of line. She has a very low status which means a lot of her life is regulated and she is prohibited from doing things such as wearing colors or eating certain foods. Then, when a mysterious stranger named Sid shows up and tempts her into wanting some magic from the people in control.

3. The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett ~ March 3, 2020

The Winter Duke is said to be Sleeping Beauty meets Anastasia and has a ton of political intrigue and mystery and all of that is right up my ally.

4. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas ~ March 3, 2020

I am very behind on Sarah J. Maas' books but this has gotten such good reviews and I am very excited to see what I think. This is an Adult Fantasy book and it just sounds really interesting.

5. The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu ~ March 3, 2020

This is a sort of historical fiction/fantasy book about Mozart's sister. Mozart's sister: Nannerl was a musical genius in her own right but was forbidden from composing by their father and her brother soon outshines her. However, a mysterious stranger arrives with an irresistible offer and she has to decide whether to take it. I am very excited to get my hands on this book!

6. The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis ~ March 9, 2020

This is a retelling of Tristan and Isolde which I'm not too familiar with but The Raven and the Dove promises an action-packed adventure with fierce heroines and a forbidden romance which sounds so good!

7. Crush the King by Jennifer Estep ~ March 17, 2020

This is the third book in The Crown of Shards series and I have listened to the audiobook for the first book and most of the second book by now. I am excited to see where the rest of the series goes!

8. Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi ~ March 31, 2020

Imagine Me is the last book in the Shatter Me series and though I am not caught up with the series yet, I still am excited for this one!

APRIL

1. The Empire of Dreams by Rae Carson ~ April 7, 2020

This book is set in the world of Rae Carson's series: The Girl of Fire and Thorns which I read a long time ago. I should refresh my memory on the first series before I start this companion series. I had no idea that Rae Carson was planning to write more books set in this world but now that I know, I couldn't be more excited.

2. Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan ~ April 7, 2020

Ruthless Gods is the sequel to Wicked Saints which I loved and wrote a full review about. I am very excited to see Nadya's story continue especially after the cliffhanger that the first book ended on.

3. The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer ~ April 7, 2020

The Glass Magician is a historical fiction/fantasy set in New York City during the Gilded Age and involves animalistic magic and a girl who doesn't have any.

4. In Her Shadow by Kristin Miller ~ April 21, 2020

This is a modern day retelling of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and that is basically all I know about it.

5. Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran ~ April 23, 2020

This is about Lia, a newly crowned queen and Xania, her spymaster who takes the job to uncover her fathers murderer. I am very excited for this new fantasy book and I've heard that it also has positive family relationships which is something that is rare to see in books.

6. Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova ~ April 28, 2020

Zoraida Cordova is a very popular author in the book blogger world but I have never read any books by her. I am excited for this one though as it is set in a 15th century Spanish-inspired world and it is said to be perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas.

MAY

1. Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman ~ May 5, 2020

This is the second book in The Aurora Cycle series, the first book is called Aurora Rising. I didn't expect myself to love the first book so much, but since I did, I am excited to get this one!

2. The Betrothed by Keira Cass ~ May 5, 2020-

The last books that I read by Keira Cass were The Selection series which I really enjoyed and this book sounds like it is in the same genre as those, however this one is a lot more fantasy based.

3. Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett ~ May 5, 2020

Jenn Bennett writes some of my favorite contemporary books and I am curious about this new one. This is set in a small town in Rhode Island and is about seventeen year old Josie who is returning to town after leaving dramatically five years ago. She has plans to go move in with her father on the west coast in order to start her career as a photographer but what she doesn't plan for, is to fall for Lucy (her former best-friend and now the town's bad boy). It sounds a little bit cliche but still intriguing.

4. The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea by Maggie Tokunda-Hall ~ May 5, 2020

Pirate books are some of my favorite books! This is about a orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial daughter who meet on the high seas. It's set in a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic.

5. Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn ~ May 5, 2020

This was pitched as Stranger Things in the French Revolution, with queer characters, swashbuckling action, strange science and magic! This sounds so good and I believe it is this author's debut YA novel.

6. Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen ~ May 5, 2020

This is the sequel to Dark Shores which I loved so much and it is about a side character from the first book. Also, the cover is gorgeous so that's a plus!

7. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust ~ May 12, 2020

This is a Fantasy novel about a girl who is cursed to be poisonous to the touch and learns what power might lie in such a curse. This is based on Persian mythology and takes some inspiration from Sleeping Beauty.

8. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins ~ May 19, 2020

This is a new book set in the world of The Hunger Games and I am so excited to get back into that world. This is set during the 10th annual Hunger Games and I hope we get more information about how the Hunger Games started and things like that!

Are any of these books on your anticipated lists for Spring 2020?

Sunday, 8 March 2020

Weekly Recap: 2/24 - 3/8

Weekly recap is where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

I haven't done one of these in a couple of weeks so here's a combination recap. I only read two books over the past two weeks but they were both five star reads and I plan to write reviews for both of them!

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased:

Library:

Received for Review:

Saturday, 7 March 2020

February '20 Wrap-Up

Time for another wrap up!

I only read six books in February but two of them were rereads. I really enjoyed most of the books that I read which was great.

Hoping next month is a good reading month as well!

Anyways...

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was American Royals by Katharine McGee. It was very hard to put my thoughts into words about this book. I ended up enjoying it but it was a little hard to get into and was a lot like Katharine McGee's other series. This is about when America won the Revolutionary War and instead of George Washington becoming the President, he becomes the King. Now, two and a half centuries later, the Hosue of Washington is still on the throne. This is about Princess Beatrice, Princess Samantha and Prince Jefferson's adventures. There is so much drama in this which made me like it more as I didn't enjoy a lot of the characters. I rated it 3.5 Crowns.

The second book I read was The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh. This book is about a girl named Celine who moves to New Orleans after she is forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. She's taken in by the Ursuline convent along with six other girls and soon she becomes involved in the city's glitzy underworld after catching the eye of Sebastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in his lair, she isn't sure what to do. But as they get to know each other and each crime gets more gruesome than the last, she starts to think that it could be the work of Sebastien and she takes matters into her own hands when the murders continue to go unsolved. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot of this book though I was promised more vampires so I hope we get to see more of them later. I rated this 5 Crowns.

The third book I read was Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren. I recently read another book by Christina Lauren which I really enjoyed but unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one as much. This was about Tate Jones who meets Sam Brandis on a vacation in London and she tells him some of her biggest secrets such as the fact that she's the long-lost daughter of one of the world's biggest film stars. However, her trust was misplaced and her world was changed forever. Fourteen years later, Tate is now an up-and-coming actress and when she steps onto the set of her first big break, she sees Sam again aka the one who betrayed her. I didn't like this book that much because the pacing was super off and was hard to follow. The characters also weren't as likable as the ones in The Unhoneymooners. I rated this one 3 Crowns.

The fourth book I read was P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han. This was a reread for me as I wanted to read it before I watched the Netflix film which I loved by the way. I am not going to say anything about this book because it will spoil the first one. I rated this one 5 Crowns.

The fifth book I read was The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan. This was another reread for me as I felt like I was in a reading slump so I decided to reread another Percy Jackson book. I'm also not going to say anything about this one because it's the third book in the series. I rated this one 5 Crowns as well.

The sixth book I read was Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao. This is a retelling of Anastasia which is my favorite story/movie. This is about Ana who is the crown princess of the Cyrilian Empire who's deadly Affinity to blood is her curse and the reason why she's been hidden from the world. However, when her father is murdered, her world is shattered as she's framed as his killer. She must flee the palace to save her life and to clear her name, she must find her father's murderer on her own. However, the world outside the palace walls is far different from the one she thought she knew, so she asks cunning crime lord, Ramson Quicktounge, for help. I loved this book. The characters, the plot and the writing were all done so well. I rated this 5 Crowns.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE

ARC'S READ

NONE

REVIEWS IN DECEMBER:

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan Book Review

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

1/27 - 2/2

2/3 - 2/8

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

January '20 Wrap-Up

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S:

Sebastian from The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

John Ambrose from P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Ramson from Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES:

Celine from The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

Ana from Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS:

Celine and Sebastian from The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

Ana and Ramson from Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

WHAT BOOKS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

There's so many more but these are the main ones!

NEW BLOG FINDS

NONE

SONGS ON REPEAT

Frozen 2 Soundtrack - Frozen

No Time to Die - Billie Eilish

Addicted - Kelly Clarkson

Love and War - Fluerie

When the Truth Hunts You Down - Sam Tinnesz

Diamonds - Meagan thee Stallion and Normani

Joke's On You - Charlotte Lawrence

Zombies 1 + 2 Disney Channel Movie - Cast

Myself - Rachel Levin

Myself and Me - Halocene

About Love - MARINA

My Oh My - Camila Cabello

Juice - Lizzo

BOOKS I WANT TO READ NEXT MONTH

The graphics at the top belong to me. The background pictures for them, however do not.

Sunday, 16 February 2020

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan Book Review

This is a spoiler free review.

Wicked Saints
Written by Emily A. Duncan

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Release Date: April 2, 2019

Pages: 385
Source: Library

Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy..

(Summary from Goodreads)

Review:

Wicked Saints is a book that I've seen all over the blogosphere with many mixed reviews, but I decided to attempt to go into it blind. This book is filled with a fast-paced, a lush Russian inspired setting, lyrical writing and morally characters that I already love.

COVER

I like the cover and how it is fairly simple but gives us the Russian setting with the castle and the darker colors that remind me of winter.

WORLD-BUILDING

Wicked Saints is a Russian and Polish-inspired fantasy and we get to see two countries in it. The Russian inspired country is called Kalyazin, and the Polish inspired country is called Tranavia. There is also another land called Akola, but we don't get to explore it that much in this first book. The Kalyazi can contact gods sometimes, and they consider the Tranavian's magic (which is blood magic) to be unholy. This has caused the nations to go to war, which has been going on for awhile. The two POVs shown in this book are the strongest Tranavian character and the strongest Kalyazi character. The author shows how religion is viewed for both countries and how both nations are willing to do whatever it takes in the name of their beliefs. The world of Wicked Saints is very expansive, and though we didn't get to explore all the places in the first book, I have a pretty good idea of the world.

Then there are the characters. (This book is told in two POVs)

NADYA

Nadya is a cleric who can speak with all the gods, and is on the run from a cruel prince and everyone else from the enemies' side. Nadya is gifted with a connection to the Gods, and yet, that isn't what makes her likable. She's intelligent and knows when to use her brain and when to use her heart. Her powers were often overshadowed by Malachiasz but as the book progressed, she began to learn how to be herself. However, she is also morally grey like many of the other characters and you aren't sure exactly what her true motives are.

SEREFIN

Serefin is a prince whose father is eager to sacrifice him for power and he uses blood magic. He doesn't show many emotions but he is a very cunning and is usually able to find a way out of anything. He also has a visual impairment and can't see out of one of his eyes. His character ends up being very likable as you start to see that he has flaws just like any other character.

MALACHIASZ

Malachiasz is the dark, mysterious monster boy who is harboring secrets that no one will be able to uncover. He is dangerous, and of course despite this, Nadya chooses to trust him. He is strong and powerful and can easily overpower many of the other characters. I thought his character was reminiscent of many other characters in YA books however he still had his own original characteristics.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Nadya doesn't have a family and we don't learn too much of her past, however, we do get to see a little bit of Serefin's relationship with his father. Serefin's father sent him away to war and it's clear that the two don't have a very close relationship, as they spend most of the book arguing. Serefin's father uses his son as a maritial pawn and uses him to ensure his power doesn't get taken away from him.

We do get to see some of the character's friendships with each other. Serefin has a close relationship with two of his guards/partners-in-crime: Ostyia and Kacper and I loved their relationship with each other.

PLOT

Wicked Saints is set in a world with two countries and different magic systems. The book starts out with a girl named Nadya, who has been hidden in a monastery for her whole life. Nadya is able to hear the voices of all the gods, and they all grant her power when she asks and this puts a target on her head. However, despite this, her people hope to not only restore the faith of the gods, but bring them back into power. Yet there are also people who are willing to do anything to make sure the gods stay silenced forever.

One night, Nadya's monastery is brutally attacked by an enemy prince - a dangerous blood mage - and she and her friend barely escape with their lives, while everyone else stays behind in order to give them time to get away. The prince notices that Nadya is not among the dead and is determined to find her. Nadya is willing to do anything to live, even if it means getting help from a powerful rebel mage, who is harboring many secrets that make him unknowingly dangerous to Nadya and her cause.

ROMANCE

I really liked the romance, and I liked how it took a backseat to the characters, letting us explore some of the characters more. The main romance in this book is an enemies to lovers romance with equal parts tension and banter which was done very well. Since this is the first book in the series, we didn't get to completely explore the relationship but I liked what we got and I am excited to see what is coming.

WRITING

I loved Emily A. Duncan's writing. The writing manages to encompass every emotion and setting while developing the story. You never know what a character is going to do or when there is going to be a new twist. Despite the alternate POVs, they are executed really well so both characters feel very developed.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wicked Saints is a book filled with morally grey characters, powerful magic, political plots, and plot twists that you could never predict. I am so excited to see what the sequel holds because this book blew me away.

Quotes from the Book:

“We're all monsters, Nadya, some of us just hide it better than others.”

“You could be exactly what these countries need to stop their fighting. Or you could rip them apart at the seams.”

“How does a human girl become something divine and feared by the gods that gave her the power she wields?”

“She would bring this country to its knees.”

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns

Sunday, 9 February 2020

Weekly Recap: 2/3 - 2/8

Weekly recap is where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

I read three books this week which was a huge accomplishment, and I can't wait to see what I am reading this coming week.

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased:

Library:

Received for Review: