Hey guys!!!
I have some news regarding my much beloved For a Muse of Fire!!
First, the lovely paperback edition released yesterday!!
Second, it’s on sale for $1.99 on all digital platforms!! (link below)
Go, buy, read it now before the sequel, A Kingdom for a Stage releases on October 8!
See my original review here: For a Muse of Fire (For a Muse of Fire, Book 1)
Hey everyone!
As we’re about to enter the last quarter of this year, I thought I would share with you some of the releases that I am most anticipating for the remainder of the year!
There are so many great books releasing at the end of this year, so this is just a portion of them. They are only in date order, not in order of anticipation!
1. Five Dark Fates (3 Dark Crowns, Book 4)- Kendare Blake- Releasing September 3
I absolutely love this series and can’t wait for the continuation of the series! I’m looking forward to finding out what happens following the events of book 3!
2. The Institute- Stephen King- Releasing September 10
In this new installment from Mr. King, children with special gifts are stolen away from their homes in the middle of the night after their parents are murdered. They are then taken to The Institute and placed in rooms that look just like theirs, except there are no windows, and no way to escape. The Institute’s aim: to steal the essence of their gifts. Luke is one of these kids, and he is desperate to escape the place that no one has ever escaped.
I love everything King (with the exception of IT– not a clown fan) so I am very pumped for this one!
3. The Testaments- Margaret Atwood- Releasing September 10
Taking place fifteen years after the van doors slammed on Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testamentstells the story that we’ve been waiting for: what happened to Offred and Gilead after those doors shut.
The Handmaid’s Tale is me second favorite Atwood (behind Alias Grace). I have loved the TV show, as well, and the take that it has taken on the events after the book, but I am looking forward to seeing Atwood’s vision for this second book.
4. The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo, Book 4)- Rick Riordan- Releasing September 24
Taking place after the events of The Burning Maze, book four of The Trials of Apollowill take Apollo to Camp Jupiter, where the Roman demigods are making a last stand, and need his help. The problem lies in the answer to their needs- it’s in the tomb of a long dead Roman ruler.
I am always excited to see the next installment in one of Uncle Rick’s series’ coming out, and this is no exception! This book will take us back to Camp Jupiter, so we will get to catch up with Frank, Hazel, Reyna, Tyson, and Ella, so this should be a great story!
5. Full Throttle: Stories- Joe Hill- Releasing October 1
I know that I have said this so many times, but I am going to say it again (and again, and again…) I love short stories!! I also love Joe Hill, so this is a perfect combination and I am here for it!! This is one of my most anticipated reads of the Fall. They chose the perfect month for this release.
6. A Kingdom for a Stage (For a Muse of Fire, Book 2)- Heidi Heilig- Releasing October 8
At the end of For a Muse of Fire Jetta was on the run, wanted for treason, murder, sabotage, and for her unique power: she can use her blood to capture spirits and bring life to inanimate objects. Jetta is also afraid that using this power will cause her to go mad and tyrannical like her biological father. She may have the power to change the tide of the raging war, but she must decide if saving her country is worth the possibility of losing her soul.
If you were reading this blog at the end of 2018 you know that For a Muse of Firewas my best fiction read of last year, and I wholeheartedly stand by that! That being said, I have been anticipating this sequel since I finished reading the first! It feels like I have been holding my breath and waiting forever for this, and it is almost time!!!
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- Illustrated Edition- Releasing October 8
This really doesn’t need much in the way of explanation. The last illustrated edition, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, released in October 2017 so it has been a two year wait for this edition. I’m looking forward to seeing Jim Kay’s illustrations in this new edition.
8. Gravemaidens- Kelly Coon- Releasing October 29
Kammani and her family live in the walled city-state of Alu. She wants to be a healer, as her father was before her family was cast in to shame. When Abu’s ruler falls ill, her younger sister is chosen to join him in the afterlife. Her sister feels it’s an honor, but Kammani sees it as a death sentence. She sneaks in to the palace in order to heal the ruler, but finds much more than she bargained for. She is determined to find out the secrets of the palace, even if she must sacrifice her own life to do it.
This is the debut novel by this author, and it sounds like it is going to be a hit! This is going to be the first book in a duology, and is already getting some great reviews. I’m looking forward to reading it myself and reviewing it for you guys!
9. Rage (Rogue Team International, Book 1)- Jonathan Maberry- Releases November 5
An Island off of the coast of Korea is attacked by a bioweapon that drives everyone insane with murderous rage. The people behind the weapon want to either unify or destroy Korea, nothing in between. This is driving the United States, Japan, and China to the brink of war as terrorists are threatening to release the rage bioweapon in a way of destruction and slaughter. This is a job for Joe Ledger and his newly formed team of international troubleshooters. This is their first mission, as they work with agents from North and South Korea to stop this terror cell and prevent a war.
Joe Ledger goes International?! A bioweapon causing rage?! Yes, please!!! Thanks for the early Christmas gift Mr. Maberry!!!
10. Winterwood- Shea Earnshaw- Releases November 5
It is said that the woods surrounding Fir Haven are magical. Only Nora Walker knows for sure. She is rumored to be a witch and she and the women in her family have always had a connection to these woods. This connection leads her Oliver, the boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys in to the woods in the middle of a snowstorm. He shouldn’t have survived, but he did. She feels a shift in the woods at his presence and feels that she needs to find out more. Oliver has secrets that he’d prefer to keep hidden. Should we fear what’s hidden in the dark, dark, woods?
Earnshaw’a sophomore novel promises to be just as much magical fun as her debut novel, The Wicked Deep. Who doesn’t love a good haunting, witchy tale when the weather gets colder and the nights get longer? I sure do!
11. From Flame and Ash (The Elements of Five, Book 2)- Carrie Ann Ryan- Releasing November 19
Lyric lost everything when she found out what her calling is. Now she must put aside her pain to train to be the Spirit Priestess that she is prophesied to be. Just as she is starting to learn more about what her journey will entail, a Seer’s wish and the calling of the Lumiere kingdom calls her forth, and thrusts her in to another journey that will test her trust in order to survive and keep those that she loves alive.
Ryan’s debut YA Fantasy novel, From Breath and Ruin, was a wonderful feat of world building and character development with a unique story, and I am thrilled to see where this second book in the series goes.
Those are the books that I have for you right now! Are there any that you are particularly excited about? Any that I need to be on the look out for?
Let me know!!
The Best of 2018!!!
Hi all!!!
I can’t believe that we are already at the end of 2018! It feels like this year has been extraordinarily long, but has gone by in a flash at the same time, if that makes sense. This year has certainly seen its share of highs and lows, but I hope that your year in books has been one of the highlights! Despite reading quite a bit less than I did last year, thanks to a marked uptick in work and several reading slumps, I can say that my literary journey was definitely a high note of the year. I read so many wonderful books this year from many, many wonderful authors- from old favorites to debuts. It was very difficult to narrow down my favorite reads of the year, so much so that I had to choose a fiction a non-fiction as I couldn’t decide between the final two! So, without further ado- my favorite books of 2018:
Favorite Fiction of 2018: For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig
This book, the first in a new series by the amazing author of The Girl from Everywhere duology (another favorite of mine!), was released at the end of September of this year. It is a hefty book at a little over 500 pages (hardback edition), but I got so absorbed in it and it read so quickly that I read it while on a weekend trip. The world building was so phenomenal and the writing so lyrical (literally at times!), that it was easy to get swept away in the novel. I loved the strong female lead, and that this was an own voices novel so the writing was true to the character. This is technically YA Fantasy, but anyone who is a fan of well written fantasy would enjoy this. You can find the full review here: For a Muse of Fire (For a Muse of Fire, Book 1)
Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Muse-Fire-Heidi-Heilig/dp/0062380818/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546224730&sr=8-1&keywords=for+a+muse+of+fire
Favorite Non-Fiction of 2018: Becoming by Michelle Obama
After the review that was posted yesterday, this may come as no surprise, but this is definitely the bet non-fiction that I read this year. This memoir was published in mid November, and I read it while I was on vacation. It took me a bit to write my review, because there was so much that I wanted to say about it, but I didn’t want to just summarize the entire book. I find Michelle Obama so inspirational, and this book made her even more so. She was open, witty, honest, funny, and relatable. This book left me with a feeling of hope. If you’re looking to add more memoirs to your reading list this year and haven’t read this one yet, I highly recommend it! Find my initial review here: Becoming
Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Michelle-Obama/dp/1524763136/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546225152&sr=8-1&keywords=becoming+michelle+obama
I hope that you guys enjoy these as much as I did! What were your favorite reads of 2018? Anything that I should check out? I’ll be spending the next couple of days attempting to get together some semblance of a reading list for the first part of 2019. There are some exciting new books coming out this year!!
I wish you all an amazing new year!!!!
Author: Heidi Helig
Series: For a Muse of Fire
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 512
Jetta and her parents are shadow players, and thanks to Jetta’s powerful ability, they have become the most famous troupe in Chakrana. Jetta, you see, holds the power of blood magic. She is able to see the souls of the departed and, using her blood, bind them to her shadow puppets (or paper, leaves, people…). This allows her to control the puppets without strings. It is also forbidden under the new regime. In their war-torn country, however, their skill is the best way for them to earn money and a way to Aquatan. Rumor has it that the Mad King found a spring there that helped to cure his melheur. Jetta needs that cure… As they are on the way, they are forced to join forces with a young smuggler (Leo) who has secrets of his own, and eyes that seem to see right through to the heart of Jetta’s secrets. As they make deals with one another, and attempt to make their way forward, they must all face decisions and truths that they never imagined and wonder if they will make it out alive.
This is the first book in a new trilogy from the lovely Heidi Heilig. It is much different from The Girl From Everywhere duology, but one can definitely tell that it is Heilig’s voice in this novel. It took me a little while to write this review, because I have a lot to say, but was not really sure how to start. First, the writing is absolutely beautiful. It moves at a smooth pace, and doesn’t ever really waver. There were no really slow parts, that books of this length can sometimes suffer from. It wasn’t overly wordy, it just had a lot to say. The story itself was interwoven with sheet music, letters, excerpts from plays, maps, and other documents that truly enriched the storyline. The world building was phenomenal. The rich Asian cultural elements mixed with the French-inspired colonialism paints a vivid picture. Once that it combined with the beautifully written folklore and Heilig’s writing of this fantasy world, it is definitely hard to put down.
Now, let’s get to the characters. As it should be, this was the heart of the story. These characters, not only the leading lady but the more secondary players as well, were so well written and multi-dimensional that I truly felt for them, and felt that I knew them, by the end of the book. Jetta, is struggling. It has been confirmed as canon that she is bipolar, but if you have ever known and loved someone who is bipolar you won’t need me to tell you that. She makes these amazingly impulsive decisions while in these high, manic periods that feel so right at the time that she is making them. She is sure that they will work out, and that she is doing the only thing that can be done. She then goes in to her depressive periods that leave her tired, weary, and questioning all of the decisions that she made while in her manic state. She believed that she was seeing things clearly, but it’s like everything slows down, and she can see it all in slow motion and truly grasp what has happened and the possible consequences. Heilig allowed this to be very visible to the reader, so it truly made Jetta a more relatable character and showed the drive behind her decision-making processes. On another note, the reader may catch that Jetta appears to be drawn to several different characters at different times- it has also been confirmed as canon that she is queer, which just makes her character even more interesting and well rounded. Leo is another wonderfully complex character. I mentioned earlier that he has his own secrets (which I won’t reveal here), but he is incredibly well fleshed out, complex, and so well written. Jetta’s parents, too, have their own secrets that they are hiding, their own struggles, worries, and concerns, and are very well rounded and relatable characters. You can feel their struggles as they are attempting to make the decisions that are the smart decisions, not the easy ones.
I can easily say that this is the best book that I have read thus far this year, and it is going to be very difficult to beat. If you are a fan of wonderful, rich fantasy, please give this one a try!
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