My most anticipated releases of the year (part 3) // Grabby Hands

Hello, beautiful people!

Today, I'm back with another of my Grabby Hands posts, where I talk about all of my most anticipated book releases. I am doing those every three months, so today I'm here to present to you my Summer 2018 edition, aka July to September releases. Of course, it doesn't include every single new release for those months or anything, those are, of course, the books I need to get my hands on like... RIGHT NOW.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Published: July 7th 2018 by Del Rey
Genres: adult, fantasy, retelling

At long last. I adored Naomi Novik's Uprooted, which came out forever ago (and by that I mean: three years ago) and I had been wanting to read something else by her. Apparently, this one is inspired by Lithuanian/Russian folklore (from what I gathered from early reviews, I might be wrong) and follows Miryem, who comes from a family of moneylenders and is sent to collect money from villagers. For unknown reasons, she manages to change silver to gold, which leads her story to be tangled with creatures that haunt the wood and their king. *dramatic music* Spinning Silver sounds absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to devour it!

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Published: July 31st 2018 by Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: young adult, fantasy, retelling

Excuse me, but I've been waiting to read it forever, because it's a villain origin story and I adore those so much. It's about Evie, who has been casted out as a witch ever since her best friend Anna drowned. One day, she meets a girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna and is convinced her best friend survived, even though the other girl denies it. Both of them meet charming princes and believe at a chance at their happily ever after, but Anna has secrets of her own and Evie would do anything to help her. The blurb says: "The rise of Hans Christian Andersen’s iconic villainess is a heart-wrenching story of friendship, betrayal, and a girl pushed beyond her limits—to become a monster." and if it isn't enough to convince you, I don't know what will.

Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

Published: August 7nd 2018 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Genres: historical fiction

If you don't know, Susanna Kearsley is my favourite historical fiction writer as well as writing inspiration. Yup. No biggies. So of course, Bellewether has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2018 ever since I heard she was working on a new project. This one is set in 1759, in the North American colonies, during the Seven Years War which opposed France and Britain. When French officers are brought as prisoners to Long Island, it changes Lydia Wilde's life, because she eventually develops feelings for a French-Canadian lieutenant. Centuries later, their story has become a local legend, that Charley, the new curator of the Wilde House Museum, is set on exploring to understand what happened. I actually got an ARC of it and am planning to read it in July, so I'll be talking to you about it and fangirling about Susanna Kearley's writing some more very soon on here!

These Rebel Waves (Stream Raiders #1) by Sara Raasch

Published: August 7th 2018 by Balzer + Bray
Genres: young adult, fantasy

You know you've been waiting for a book for a long time when you've been following the Pinterest inspiration board of it when it didn't even have a title yet. Anyway, Sara Raasch is the author of the Snow Like Ashes' trilogy, which I really liked, and I'm so happy that she's finally publishing more books, especially this one, which sounds like the book of my dreams or something. It has a) pirates b) a dichotomy between a magic land/a country driven by religion c) an island d) a black market e) conspiracies. It sounds absolutely amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Published: August 7th 2018 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Genres: young adult, fantasy

Another author whose previous trilogy I adore has a new book coming out. *throws confettis into the air* Dance of Thieves is the first book in a new duology set in the same world that The Remnant Chronicles (you know, The Kiss of Deception, The Heart of Betrayal and The Beauty of Darkness --> I want to reread them again), so of course, I need it. The main characters are a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty? Give it to me now. It's gonna be so much fun and I have my fingers crossed that we'll see some of the characters of The Remnant Chronicles again. Oh wait, I have a reason to reread them now. I have to, just in case.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Published: August 28th 2018 by Scholastic
Genres: middle grade, fantasy

I mean, it's a new Victoria Schwab novel, so, I don't really have to explain why I need it so badly, right? It follows Cassidy, a young girl whose parents are a sort of (inept) ghost-hunting team, but she can actually see ghosts, her best friend Jacob is one. The family heads to Edinburgh, which is very haunted, and Cassidy meets another girl who can also see the dead and tells her that her job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't quite so sure about it, but she joins a fight against the Red Raven, a sinister being who haunts the city. I am beyond excited to read this novel, it's been some time since I last read middle grade and I'm so curious about the story, especially as it's set in Edinburgh!

Toil and Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft, 

edited by Jessica Spotswood and Tess Sharpe

Published: August 28th 2018 by Harlequin Teen
Genres: anthology, young adult, fantasy

I love YA anthologies so much, I mention some of them often enough in my most anticipated releases (as I'm typing this, I've been reading the All Out anthology, so, see?). This one has fifteen contemporary, historical, and futuristic stories featuring witchy heroines who are diverse in race, class, sexuality, religion, geography, and era. I don't know that many of the authors who contributed, but I've read and loved Emery Lord's novels, Robin Talley's Lies We Tell Ourselves and previous short stories I've read from Anna-Marie McLemore and Jessica Spotswood. I'm so excited to discover even more YA authors, it always motivates me more to pick up some of their novels (I'll be on the lookout for Elizabeth May and Zoraida Córdova the most).

As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows

Published: September 11th 2018 by Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: young adult, fantasy

I've had trouble with sequels this year. Either I just don't pick them up, or they've been disappointing me (there are exceptions to this rule, but I can think of... one). Nevertheless, there are always authors I trust and Jodi Meadows is one of them. I adored the first book in the Fallen Isles trilogy, Before She Ignites, as well as everything she wrote, so I have faith it will put me back on tracks with sequels. This trilogy has dragons and secrets and a main character with anxiety, I devoured the first one and I can't wait to know what happens next. Moreover, the truth is, I quite miss fantasy. I haven't read a lot of it lately because I've been disappointed by some novels... But I miss it and a world I love will help.

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Published: September 18th by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Genres: young adult, science fiction

Warcross was amazing. I'm not really surprised because Marie Lu is such a talented author and I've always adored her books, but I'm so happy it was the case for Warcross as well. I don't read a lot of science-fiction type of books, but I adored the world it was set in (reading about video games is the best) as well as the characters. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end (even though I had guessed part of the plot twist) and I've needed the sequel ever since then. September can't come fast enough!

For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig

Published: September 25th 2018  by Greenwillow Books

Genres: young adult, fantasy

I read Heidi Heilig's debut, The Girl From Everywhere, when it came out a few years ago and really enjoyed it, so I was curious to know what the author would come up next, this one definitely sounds interesting! It follows Jetta, who comes from a troupe of shadow players, it seems like she's moving puppets without string or stick. In truth, she is able to see the souls of people who recently passed away and bind them to puppets with her blood. However, practicing the old ways has been forbidden ever since the colonial army conquered Jetta's country, but she manages to earn a spot aboard the royal ship where she'll have to hide the truth on her powers. But as rebellion seethes and as Jetta meets a young smuggler, she will face truths and decisions that she never imagined—and safety will never seem so far away. This trilogy is set in a world inspired by Asian cultures and French colonialism, it has a bipolar heroine and the story is told through different formats. I really cannot wait to get my hands on this one. 

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Published: September 25th 2018 by Delacorte Press
Genres: young adult, historical fiction, retelling

Kiersten White is an author I've been keeping my eyes on for the past few years, I read Illusions of Fate and And I Darken* by her, which I adored. Her stories always intrigue me so much and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is no exception. This one follows Elizabeth Lavenza, who has had a tough life and is on the verge of being thrown out into the streets, until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, a boy who has everything, except a friend. She becomes her friend and is taken in by his family, but as the years pass, her survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim. I am so excited about this one because the main character is a secondary character from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and I so trust Kiersten White with this. 

*I haven't read Now I Rise, the second book in that trilogy, yet, but I've decided to binge-read it when I also get the third one! I cannot wait, the first novel was so promising.

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

Published: September 25th 2018by Tor
Genres: adult, science fiction

I am beyond excited to have not only one, but TWO of Victoria Schwab's novels to talk about in this post. I can't believe that Vengeful is now a written novel and that we will get our hands on it in a few months. I am so curious to see where the story will go next, as for years, it wasn't sure whether we would get Vengeful or not and that it got rewritten many times to make it as amazing as possible. It's been quite a while since we got a new novel by Victoria Schwab, I can't wait to drown in her words again and to be surprised by everything that goes down. Also, it gives me another reason to reread Vicious, so cheers to that! If you haven't read Vicious yet, just go for it, don't try to figure out what it's about or anything, JUST READ IT.

Are you excited for any of these books? 

What are your most anticipated releases for July, August and September?

Lots of love,

Lucie

TOP 5 // Classics I want to read this summer

Hello, beautiful people!

It's been a while since I last wrote a 'top 5 books I want to read' post and I had really missed those, because I love talking about books I really want to read, especially when it comes to classics. Now that I'm almost on holidays, I have way more time to read classics and I couldn't be happier about that, I feel like I haven't read that much of them this year (sure Lucie, you managed to read War and Peace, Middlemarch and Shirley, which were quite lengthy ones, and others). So today, I'm here to talk to you about those I desperately want to read; funnily enough I found two of them second-hand yesterday, when that post had been drafted for a week.

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell (1848)

It has occurred to me that I haven't read anything by Elizabeth Gaskell since Victober 2017 and I'm a bit mad at myself for that, especially since I have so little of her novels left to read (Mary Barton, Sylvia's Lovers and Cranford, but I never know if that one is considered a novel or not). Granted, I also have her biography of Charlotte Brontë and some of the novellas and short stories left after that, but still, it's not the same. Anyhow, Mary Barton was Gaskell's first novel and I'm so looking forward to reading it. The main character, Mary, rejects her working class lover Jem Wilson, thinking of marrying Henry Carson, the mill-owner's son, in the hope of making a better life for herself and her father, a trade unionist. But when Henry is shot down in the street and Jem becomes the main suspect, Mary finds herself painfully torn between the two men. It sounds so good and I still can't believe I found the Penguin English Library edition of it (see the picture at the beginning of the post), as it's out of print!

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (1860)

I recently read Middlemarch by George Eliot and adored it so much that I've been thinking about picking up the rest of the author's works. I had heard from several readers that The Mill on the Floss was more approachable than Middlemarch, but I got through that one, so I'm confident I'll enjoy the first as well. The Mill on the Floss follows Maggie Tulliver, who is always trying to win the approval of her parents, but her personality often brings her into conflict with her family. It is said to have an interesting portrayal of sibling relationships, which is one of my weaknesses in literature and that it's considered George Eliot's most autobiographical novel. Moreover, I've heard such amazing things about the heroine of this novel and I cannot wait to meet her. By the way, have I mentioned that I'm planning on getting the Penguin English Library edition? It's absolutely gorgeous, but no one is surprised. 

Let's take a moment to stare at it:

L'Œuvre by Emile Zola (1886)

You might not know that about me, but Emile Zola is one of my favourite French writers. I have a very special relationship with L'Œuvre (The Masterpiece in English), because I've been meaning to read it for almost nine years, ever since we had to imagine what happened after one of the scenes for a class. Yet, I never got around to read it, still telling myself, years after years, that I needed to get to it. This summer, I have no more excuses, because I borrowed my grandmother's copy and I can't wait to finally know what happened after that scene. L'Œuvre is the story of a young artist moving to Paris to find success and is conquered by the flaws in his own genius. While his childhood friend becomes a successful novelist, the artist's originality is mocked at the Salon and he gradually turns to a doomed obsession with one great canvas. It is said to be a quite autobiographical novel for Zola and to provide unique insight into Zola's relationship with the painter Cézanne. 

The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy (1887)

I haven't read anything by Thomas Hardy since The Mayor of Casterbridge in February (which was amazing) and I really miss his writing, so I have to read as many of his works as possible this summer, starting with The Woodlanders. This one narrates the rivalry for the hand of Grace Melbury between a loyal woodlander and a sophisticated outsider. According to the Penguin Classics edition, The Woodlanders, with its thematic portrayal of the role of social class, gender, and evolutionary survival, as well as its insights into the capacities and limitations of language, exhibits Hardy's acute awareness of his era's most troubling dilemmas. It sounds amazing, as all of the works of Thomas Hardy that I've read so far, I cannot wait to get to it.

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier (1941)

Last but not least, we're leaving 19th century to move on to modern classics and Daphne du Maurier, as always. I adore Daphne du Maurier, both as a writer and as a woman, she's one of my biggest inspirations. Frenchman's Creek is the only one of her most popular novels I have left to read and I'm so looking forward to it, I have missed Cornwall, her words, her characters and the atmosphere she always manages to create. It's going to be my sixth novel by her, then I'll try her short stories, because I'm so curious about The Birds! In the meantime, this novel follows Lady Dona St Columb, who seems to be involved in every intrigue of the Restoration Court, but she secretly despises the Court life. She retreats at her husband's Cosnish estate, but it used to be the base of a French pirate, hunted down by all Cornwall. Upon meeting him, Dona's thirst for adventure has never been more aroused and together they embark on a quest, which will force Dona to make the ultimate choice, between sacrificing her lover to death, or risk her own life to save him.

That's it for the classics I want to read the most this summer! I also want to read more French literature once again, The Three Musketeers (Les Trois Mousquetaires) by Alexandre Dumas and Guermantes' Way (Le Côté de Guermantes) by Marcel Proust are also patiently waiting for me, but I've mentioned them on other 'top 5' posts and I haven't forgotten about them.

Are there any classics you want to get to this summer?

Lots of love,

Lucie