Hello lovelies! The first full week of January is here! January is release month for some of my most anticipated reads of the year and I’m really looking forward to reading them (hopefully) this month!
This month’s new releases include retellings, young adult fantasy, reimagining characters from literature classics, and more! I’m really excited to share these with you today and I hope you’re able to discover a new favorite book or two!
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Synopsis: From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love and redemption.
Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.
Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.
The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.
I love retellings of mythology–Greek, Norse, Egyptian, anything really–and Lore seems to be a one of a kind retelling combining two of my favorite series: Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games. I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book and I can’t wait to dive into it this month!
Lava Red, Feather Blue by Molly Ringle
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Synopsis:
Awakening the handsome prince is supposed to end the fairy tale, not begin it. But the Highvalley witches have rarely done things the way they’re supposed to. On the north Pacific island of Eidolonia, hidden from the world by enchantments, Prince Larkin has lain in a magical sleep since 1799 as one side of a truce between humans and fae. That is, until Merrick Highvalley, a modern-day witch, discovers an old box of magic charms and cryptic notes hidden inside a garden statue.
Experimenting with the charms, Merrick finds himself inside the bower where Larkin lies, and accidentally awakens him. Worse still, releasing Larkin from the spell also releases Ula Kana, a faery bent on eradicating humans from the island. With the truce collapsing and hostilities escalating throughout the country, Merrick and Larkin form an unlikely alliance and become even unlikelier heroes as they flee into the perilous fae realm on a quest to stop Ula Kana and restore harmony to their island.
One part sleeping beauty retelling, one part contemporary fantasy, and one part casual Queerness Lava Red, Feather Blue was my first read of the year (Thank you NetGalley!) and I loved it! I’ll be posting my full review soon but if you like contemporary fantasy and are looking for positive Queer representation I highly recommend this one!
Influence by Sara Shepard and Lilia Buckingham
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Synopsis:
Get ready to delve into the world of teen influencers like you’ve never done before–from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS Sara Shepard and sixteen-year-old actress and social media personality Lilia Buckingham comes a twisty mystery that takes place in the fiercely competitive world of Internet stars.
After a video she makes goes viral, everyone knows Delilah Rollins. And now that she’s in LA, Delilah’s standing on the edge of something incredible. Everything is going to change. She has no idea how much.
Jasmine Walters-Diaz grew up in the spotlight. A child star turned media darling, the posts of her in her classic Lulu C. rainbow skirt practically break the Internet. But if the world knew who Jasmine really was, her perfect life? Canceled.
Fiona Jacobs is so funny–the kind of girl for whom a crowd parts–no wonder she’s always smiling! But on the inside? The girl’s a hot mess. And when someone comes out of the shadows with a secret from her past, it’s one that won’t just embarrass Fiona: it will ruin her.
Who wouldn’t want to be Scarlet Leigh? Just look at her Instagram. Scarlet isn’t just styled to perfection: she is perfection. Scarlet has a gorgeous, famous boyfriend named Jack and there’s a whole fanbase about their ship. To everyone watching online, their lives seem perfect . . . but are they really? The sun is hot in California . . . and someone’s going to get burned.
2021 is all about me branching out of my normal genres and discovering new books and authors. While I read a lot of Young Adult books, most of those fit into fantasy and dystopian genres. I almost never read thrillers, young adult or otherwise, but when I saw this one I decided to give it a shot and I don’t think I’ll be disappointed when I pick it up later this week.
The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh by Molly Greeley
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Synopsis:
In this gorgeously written and spellbinding historical novel based on Pride and Prejudice, the author of The Clergyman’s Wife combines the knowing eye of Jane Austen with the eroticism and Gothic intrigue of Sarah Waters to reimagine the life of the mysterious Anne de Bourgh.
As a fussy baby, Anne de Bourgh’s doctor prescribed laudanum to quiet her, and now the young woman must take the opium-heavy tincture every day. Growing up sheltered and confined, removed from sunshine and fresh air, the pale and overly slender Anne grew up with few companions except her cousins, including Fitzwilliam Darcy. Throughout their childhoods, it was understood that Darcy and Anne would marry and combine their vast estates of Pemberley and Rosings. But Darcy does not love Anne or want her.
After her father dies unexpectedly, leaving her his vast fortune, Anne has a moment of clarity: what if her life of fragility and illness isn’t truly real? What if she could free herself from the medicine that clouds her sharp mind and leaves her body weak and lethargic? Might there be a better life without the medicine she has been told she cannot live without?
In a frenzy of desperation, Anne discards her laudanum and flees to the London home of her cousin, Colonel John Fitzwilliam, who helps her through her painful recovery. Yet once she returns to health, new challenges await. Shy and utterly inexperienced, the wealthy heiress must forge a new identity for herself, learning to navigate a “season” in society and the complexities of love and passion. The once wan, passive Anne gives way to a braver woman with a keen edge—leading to a powerful reckoning with the domineering mother determined to control Anne’s fortune . . . and her life.
An extraordinary tale of one woman’s liberation, The Heiress reveals both the darkness and light in Austen’s world, with wit, sensuality, and a deeply compassionate understanding of the human heart.
Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite classics and while I haven’t read a ton of Austen retellings, I’m particularly excited for this one. I always wished we had seen more of Anne in P&P and I really like that Greeley is exploring the idea that Anne was over-medicated by her family and that her ‘illness’ was indeed fabricated. This was often the fate of ‘unconventional’ women and of people with illness that were not understood at the time and I’m looking forward to seeing Greeley explore this topic.
Siri, Who am I? by Sam Tschida
Release Date: January 12th, 2021
Synopsis:
Mia might look like a Millennial but she was born yesterday. Emerging from a coma with short-term amnesia after an accident, Mia can’t remember her own name until the Siri assistant on her iPhone provides it. Based on her cool hairstyle (undercut with glamorous waves), dress (Prada), and signature lipstick (Chanel), she senses she’s wealthy, but the only way to know for sure is to retrace her steps once she leaves the hospital. Using Instagram and Uber, she arrives at the pink duplex she calls home in posts but finds Max, a cute, off-duty postdoc supplementing his income with a house-sitting gig. He tells her the house belongs to JP, a billionaire with a chocolate empire. A few texts later, JP confirms her wildest dreams: they’re in love, Mia is living the good life, and he’ll be back that weekend.
But as Mia and Max work backward through her Instagram and across Los Angeles to learn more about her, they discover a surprising truth behind her perfect Instagram feed, and evidence that her head wound was no accident. Who was Mia before she woke up in that hospital? And is it too late for her to rewrite her story?
I’m a sucker for amnesia stories–books, movies, tv, I love them all. And I particularly like the idea of using social media to rediscover yourself. Since so much of social media today is constructed to show off our best selves I’m excited to see how Tschida explores the idea of self-image and how social media is used to often present a false reality–to ourselves and to others.
Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift
Release Date: January 19th, 2021
Synopsis:
The first book in an epic, heart-pounding fantasy duology about two royal heirs betrothed to be married, but whose loyalties are torn, and a ruthless enemy who threatens their world, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal, and Renée Ahdieh.
Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.
Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who’s mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child.
Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery’s most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet.
Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross…and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.
Between dodging deathly spells and keeping their true selves hidden, the pair must learn to put their trust in the other if either is to uncover the real threat. Now Wickery’s fate is in the hands of rivals..? Fiancées..? Partners..? Whatever they are, it’s complicated and bound for greatness or destruction.
Royalty. Arranged marriage. Magic. Secrete Identities. Rivals to enemies to allies to lovers? Maybe??? This one sounds messy and complicated and fun and I am here for it. This is one of my most anticipated reads this year and I can’t wait to read it later this month!
Wench by Maxine Kaplan
Release Date: January 19th, 2021
Synopsis:
A funny, fiercely feminist YA epic fantasy—following the adventures of a tavern wench!
Tanya has worked at her tavern since she was able to see over the bar. She broke up her first fight at 11. By the time she was a teenager she knew everything about the place, and she could run it with her eyes closed. She’d never let anyone—whether it be a drunkard or a captain of the queen’s guard—take advantage of her. But when her guardian dies, she might lose it all: the bar, her home, her purpose in life. So she heads out on a quest to petition the queen to keep the tavern in her name—dodging unscrupulous guards, a band of thieves, and a powerful, enchanted feather that seems drawn to her. Fast-paced, magical, and unapologetically feminist, Wench is epic fantasy like you’ve never seen it before.
Content warning: Some magic in the book involves self-harm.
First: I love that this book comes with a content/trigger warning. I’d really like to see more books listing content/trigger warnings for readers and so I’m really excited to see one here.
Second: I have heard nothing but great things about this book and I can’t wait to explore the world Kaplan has created. Tanya sounds like the strong, witty, spitfire character 2021 deserves and I can’t wait to meet her.
Thank you so much for reading! Are any of these on your TBR yet?
Be sure to follow the links to add the books I mentioned here on Goodreads!
Hope you guys have a great week ahead of you!
Basement.Bookcase 