With the new year kicking up dust, it's time to scour the bookstores for 2019 releases! I'm looking forward to reading a lot of books this year and if you want to keep tabs on what I will be reading check out my Goodreads. These books I picked are based on ratings and reviews from others online, the release dates (since it has to be in 2019 of course), and the summaries (and maybe because the covers look freaking awesome)!
Expected Publication: May 7, 2019
Genre(s): Contemporary, Young Adult
Summary: "Shane has been doing college all wrong. Pre-med, stellar grades, and happy parents…sounds ideal -- but Shane's made zero friends, goes home every weekend, and romance…what’s that?
Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat. Time's a ticking, and she needs a change -- there's nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up. Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London. She's going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure!
Easier said than done. She is soon faced with the complicated realities of living outside her bubble, and when self-doubt sneaks in, her new life starts to fall apart.
Shane comes to find that, with the right amount of courage and determination one can conquer anything. Throw in some fate and a touch of magic - the possibilities are endless."
Why I Picked Again, but Better: As a college student, I think I would be able to relate a lot to the characters. I think anyone who feels the daily routine of life drag them down can use this book as a boost to expand their opportunities and take a chance to risk in life!
Published February 26, 2019
Genre(s): Fantasy, Adult
Summary: "A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep."
Why I Picked The Priory of the Orange Tree: I don't think I've ever read an adult fantasy book with dragons in it--actually I don't think I've ever read a book with dragons in it so I'm pumped!!! Also, powerful female main characters is ALWAYS a plus.
Expected Publication: March 5, 2019
Genre(s): WWII, Adult
Summary:
"...In 1946, Hanna Ginsberg awakens in a field outside of Berlin. Disoriented and afraid, she has no memory of the past ten years and no idea what has happened to Max. With no information as to Max’s whereabouts—or if he is even still alive—she decides to move to London to live with her sister while she gets her bearings. Even without an orchestra to play in, she throws herself completely into her music to keep alive her lifelong dream of becoming a concert violinist. But the music also serves as a balm to heal her deeply wounded heart and she eventually gets the opening she long hoped for. Even so, as the days, months, and years pass, taking her from London to Paris to Vienna to America, she continues to be haunted by her forgotten past, and the fate of the only man she has ever loved and cannot forget."
Why I Picked In Another Time: I'm a big fan of historical WWII books and so this is exactly my cup of tea!
Published January 29, 2019
Genre(s): Fairytale, Young Adult
Summary:
"Fall in love, break the curse.
It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom."
Why I Picked A Curse So Dark and Lonely: A Beauty and the Beast retelling story put on the streets of Washington DC mixed with fantasy sounds absolutely amazing! I've only read a couple of retelling stories, and it's interesting to see the similarities and differences from the originals.
[This is the first book in the series!]
5. THE RIVER
Expected Publication: March 5, 2019
Genre(s): Adventure, Thriller
Summary:
"Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing...When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in Northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddles and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and paperback western novels. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey. When they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank and decide to warn them about the fire, their search for the pair turns up nothing and no one. But: the next day a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the man they heard? And if he is, where is the woman? From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller, unspools a head-long, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival."
Why I Picked The River: As a writer, it's important for me to read things outside of my preferred genres (fantasy and young adult), so I thought an adventure-thriller would be out of my comfort zone! I think when I read this I'll be on the edge of my seat the whole time. If you've seen my Book List 2017 post, then you know that I have read (and loved!) thriller books before even if I don't read them very often.
6. WICKED FOX
Expected Publication: June 25, 2019
Genre(s): Mythology, Young Adult
Summary: "Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret--she's a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.
But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead--her gumiho soul--in the process...
With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's."
Why I Picked Wicked Fox: I'm absolutely head-over-heels in love with Greek and Roman mythology, so it makes sense that Korean mythology would intrigue me as well! As one of the highest ratings from all six books in this list (before it's even been published!) makes me super excited for it! It's nice to have POC representation and different cultures being showcased in literature.
[This is the first book in the series!]
If you'd like me to give my ratings once I've read them, or want me to suggest specific genres comment below!
xx,
Gabriella