Waiting on Wednesday: Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake

Hardcover, 320 pages

Expected publication: September 4th 2018 by HarperTeen

I just finished One Dark Throne not too long ago and am pumped for book 3’s release!!  This series hits a lot of notes for me and the characterization is spectacular.  I’m hoping we get some more world lore in books 3 and 4 to flesh out why some of these things are happening.  But I’m very glad the author has more to share.

Summary:

Katharine sits on the throne, Mirabella and Arsinoe are in hiding, and an unexpected renegade is about to wage a war of her own. The crown has been won, but these queens are far from done.

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Waiting on Wednesday/Getting Ready for C2E2: The Fandom by Anna Day and The Con Artist by Fred Van Lente

Hardcover, 416 pages

Expected publication: April 24th 2018 by Chicken House

I am actually reading this one right now!  I was so excited about the new stories being told that are connected in some way to conventions and fandom 🙂  I decided to share two books today instead of one since I’m attending my first comic con in Chicago this weekend.  For work even!  I’m trying to bring new graphic novels into the company and this should be an awesome opportunity to talk with a bunch of publishers and creators.  Back to the book.  It sounds awesome!  I’m just a little concerned that the setup is for a dream sequence, and I hate those.  Unless done extremely well.  Like, Kristen Britain levels of done well.  We will see…

Summary:

Violet’s in her element. Cosplay at the ready, she can’t wait to feel part of her favorite fandom: The Gallows Dance, a mega book and movie franchise that she and her friends know EVERY WORD of (canon and fanfic included).

But at Comic Con, a freak accident transports Violet and her friends into the story for real. And in just the first five minutes, they cause the death of the heroine, and get taken prisoner by the rebel group she was supposed to lead to victory.

It’s up to Violet to take her place, and play out the plot the way it was written. But stories have a life of their own, and when you change the script in one place, the rest gets revised too…

Paperback, 288 pages

Expected publication: July 10th 2018 by Quirk Books

This is another fantastic-sounding story!  More mystery than fantasy, but that cover is so much fun 🙂  I can’t wait to read this one and delve into comic con culture from another angle.  I am loving this trend and can’t wait to share more titles that feature it!

Summary:

There’s murder at San Diego Comic Con in this entertaining summer read from a Marvel/DC comics veteran Fred Van Lente, featuring illustrations in classic comic book style.

Comic book illustrator Michael Yoo is having a terrible week. He’s just arrived in San Diego for Comic-Con — the annual nerd Mardi Gras that triples the beachside city’s population with 150,000 fans. Michael hopes to spend the next five days working his booth in Artist’s Alley, where he’ll sign autographs and sell sketches for $40 a pop. Instead he’s implicated in the death of his editor, the widely feared and reviled Danny Lieber. There are plenty of suspects onhand — from rival illustrators to burlesque cos-players. But the most valuable clues might be hidden in Michael’s own sketchbook. He’s spent a good portion of the convention illustrating people he’s met and places he’s visited, and he’s inadvertantly captured some very important information. The devil is in the details, and readers who pay careful attention to this book’s black-and-white sketches will be on the right trail to unmask the murderer.

Waiting on Wednesday: #AceofShades by Amanda Foody #Irons

Hardcover, 416 pages

Expected publication: April 10th 2018 by Harlequin Teen

Waiting on Wednesday: Burning Magic by Joshua Khan

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: April 10th 2018 by Disney-Hyperion

If you’ve been following my blog at all, then you have probably noticed my love for this series!  Joshua has done such a great job twisty classic horror tropes and creating strong, round characters for middle grade readers.  It’s just a fantastic series all around, so you should definitely check out books one and two before picking up this one next month!

Summary:

In Book 3, when Lily, aka the “witch queen” and bat-rider extraordinaire Thorn travel to Sultanate of Fire, things go terribly wrong. Instead of celebrating a reunion with their old friend K’leef, they are thrust into royal murder, an epic quest, and a deadly battle for the throne. While investigating the murder, Lily learns shocking truths about her life that could destroy all she has achieved. Yet, among the ruins of her old life, she has the opportunity to become someone greater . . . and more terrifying. Thorn and the magnificent bat, Hades, join the timid K’leef and the idiotic Gabriel Solar in a quest to find a phoenix. These fire birds are the key to saving the sultanate, but they nest within the Shardlands. The boys must defeat not only the monsters of that magical wilderness, but also rivals eager to claim the throne for themselves. Rivals that include a renegade from House Shadow . . . Chilling surprises, ghostly encounters, and belly laughs are just some of the treats in store for readers of this burning-hot desert adventure.

Waiting on Wednesday: Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson

Paperback, 176 pages

Expected publication: March 13th 2018 by Tor.com

This one looks really cool!  And I really haven’t heard very much about it!  Which is a shame, so I’m giving it a shout-out today.  If the cover isn’t enough to intrigue you, then check out the summary below.  I’m definitely looking forward to this crazy little time traveling, eco-disaster story.

Summary:

Experience this far-reaching, mind-bending science fiction adventure that uses time travel to merge climate fiction with historical fantasy. From Kelly Robson, Aurora Award winner, Campbell, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon finalist, and author of Waters of Versailles.

Discover a shifting history of adventure as humanity clashes over whether to repair their ruined planet or luxuriate in a less tainted pass.

In 2267, Earth has just begun to recover from worldwide ecological disasters. Minh is part of the generation that first moved back up to the surface of the Earth from the underground hells, to reclaim humanity’s ancestral habitat. She’s spent her entire life restoring river ecosystems, but lately the kind of long-term restoration projects Minh works on have been stalled due to the invention of time travel. When she gets the opportunity take a team to 2000 BC to survey the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, she jumps at the chance to uncover the secrets of the shadowy think tank that controls time travel technology.

Waiting on Wednesday: January 2018 Releases

Hey all!  This year is full of fantastic releases, and I want to make sure I’m featuring as many as possible as I focus on reading my backlog.  Sprinkled with some new releases, of course!  So, to that end, here is the list of January releases in fantasy and science fiction across all ages.  Enjoy!

Hoping to Read Soon!

Excited for the Release!

Are you looking forward to any of these new releases?  Did I miss one of your most anticipateds?  Let me know in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday: Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

Hardcover, 160 pages

Expected publication: January 9th 2018 by tor.com

As expected, I loved this installment just as much as much as the previous two!  This story picks up shortly after the end of Every Heart a Doorway and gives us several new characters to fall in love with as well as checking up on others from the first book.  I really enjoyed the mix of fresh and loved character development.  We were even treated to more diverse characters such as a Muslim baker and a bigger girl happy with her appearance.

I can’t wait for more of these books to follow!  Seanan confirmed that there are plans to continue the series for another couple of books at least.  And hopefully more.  As long as they keep selling, they will keep coming.  I wholeheartedly support this trend and will do my best to make sure that the publisher knows we want more!

Summary:

Beneath the Sugar Sky returns to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. At this magical boarding school, children who have experienced fantasy adventures are reintroduced to the “real” world.

Sumi died years before her prophesied daughter Rini could be born. Rini was born anyway, and now she’s trying to bring her mother back from a world without magic.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

Hardcover, 72 pages

Expected publication: October 31st 2017 by Oni Press

HOW CUTE ARE THESE TEA DRAGONS?!?  I absolutely adore these cute little things and the fact that they are in a fantastic story is just amazing!

This story was originally released as a webcomic, which can be found by following this link.  You should definitely go check it out.  I’ll wait.  No, but seriously go check it out. I don’t mind if you get lost and forget to come back here!  I know I’ve gotten lost in the world and art of Katie O’Neill’s fabulous work 🙂

Hey, glad you came back!  Now that you have explored a bit (or perhaps even all) of The Tea Dragon Society, I want to tell you why I fell so deeply in love with this magical slice of awesome.  Obviously, the art and concept really spoke to me, but once you dig deeper, you find that there are several layers to explore.  I don’t want to spoil anything if you haven’t discovered them, so let’s just say that the diversity and inclusion were presented as natural and constant.  Neither were plot points, but accepted by the inhabitants without reproach.

I think my only regret is that this book is so short.  I guess that just means that I’ll have to be on the lookout for more from Katie in the future.

Besides following the webcomic, I did receive an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, which did not affect my honesty in any way.

Summary:

From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

Waiting on Wednesday: Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: August 29th 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire

There are various reviews roaming the internet about this book.  I don’t think any had an issue with representation though, so I decided to give this book a try.  The first chapter was amazing!  Then it took a step back and did character introductions and a bit of world building, but then we were thrown right into the competition.  Non-stop action, revelations, and exploring genderfluid as an accepted form of identification.  While this story may not be new territory (think Hunger Games and Throne of Glass), I enjoyed the author’s writing style and the characters presented.