Precommendations: Volume 2, Issue 1

1/3/2018

Volume 2, Baby

I am so excited to be coming at you guys with VOLUME 2 of my Precommendations series! I had so much fun with it last year, so I decided to bring it back for a second year. If you are new here, Precommendations is a series where I recommend you books before I read them and before they come out. It's my version of a monthly release series.

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Busted, by: Gina Ciocca

January 2nd
Marisa never planned to be a snoop for hire. It wasn't like she wanted to catch her best friend's boyfriend making out with another girl. But as her reputation for sniffing out cheaters spreads all over school, Marisa finds herself the reluctant queen of busting two-timing boys.
And her next case? It's for ex-frenemy Kendall. She's convinced her boyfriend, TJ, has feelings for someone else and persuades Marissa to start spying on him. But the more Marisa gets to know sincere and artistic TJ, the more she starts to fall for him. Worse yet, the feelings seem to be mutual. Marisa knows she needs to give up her investigation—and the spoken-for guy who may just be the love of her life. Then she

uncovers new secrets about Kendall and TJ, secrets that take "cheater" to a whole new level...

I live for romances with a twist. Anyone can write a decent novel where two people fall in love, happily ever after, blah, blah, blah. This book appealed to me because it is vastly different from most other books in its genre. I like the added element of "detective work" and scandal, and I think that is what makes it stick out. Although it sounds unique, I also believe that it has a chance to be a bit cheesy, but I think that every romance has that opportunity, so my hopes are high for this one.

A Conspiracy of Stars, by: Olivia A. Cole

January 2nd
Octavia has only ever had one goal: to follow in the footsteps of her parents and become a prestigious whitecoat, one of the scientists who study the natural wonders of Faloiv. The secrets of the jungle’s exotic plants and animals are protected fiercely in the labs by the Council of N’Terra, so when the rules suddenly change, allowing students inside, Octavia should be overjoyed.
But something isn’t right. The newly elected leader of the Council has some extremist views about the way he believes N’Terra should be run, and he’s influencing others to follow him. When Octavia witnesses one of the Faloii—the indigenous people of Faloiv—attacked in front of her in the dark of night, she knows the

Council is hiding something. They are living in separate worlds on a shared planet, and their fragile peace may soon turn into an all-out war.
With the help of Rondo, a quiet boy in class with a skill for hacking, and her inquisitive best friend, Alma, Octavia is set on a collision course to discover the secrets behind the history she’s been taught, the science she’s lived by, and the truth about her family.

I am very excited to see how this book is received. The overwhelming Stranger Things vibes that it is giving me is making it that much better (especially since I just finished season 2. #epic.). It has been forever since I have read something mysterious and futuristic like this book, so I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Futuristic stories always appeal to me because every person imagines the future differently from the next. I love being able to see how other people predict how the world will change as time goes on.

The Cruel Prince, by: Holly Black

January 2nd
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Even after reading young adult books for about four years now, I have still yet to read a Holly Black book. She is one of those authors that I have heard so many great things, and I have meant to read her works for a while, but I just haven't yet. So, I am hoping that this new book can make its way into my life as my first Holly Black book. There's something about royalty and faeries that appeal to me, so I am excited to see how this book stacks against all of Holly's other books. Also, if you need another faerie book to read while you wait, go check out my review for An Enchantment of Ravens, by Margaret Rogerson!

Everless, by: Sara Holland

January 2nd
In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.
No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.
But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined.

Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

As I discovered this book, the synopsis grabbed me. Time as a currency? This idea is something I have never heard of anyone doing. It is such a crazy thing once you stop to think about, and I already have so many questions. Do people know how much time they have when they are born? Does taking time from people have an immediate effect on them, like in Caraval, by Stephanie Garber? Can only specific people deal with time, or can anyone take and give it? I guess I will have to wait for the answers until I can read it, which will hopefully be very soon!

Unearthed, by: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

January 9th
When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.
For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they

form a fragile alliance.
In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race...

I have been waiting for a new series from this author duo for FOREVER. If you have not read the Starbound Trilogy yet, I highly recommend it. I read the first book, These Broken Stars, back in 2014, and I fell. In. Love. Hard, too. It has since held its place in my list of favorite series of all time, that is how much I loved it. For that reason, I am thrilled that Amie and Megan are coming out with an all-new series to wow us all. There's a little voice in the back of my mind that says not to get my hopes up, but every single book in the Starbound Trilogy was terrific in a unique way, so I am ready to see what this series has to offer.

The Hazel Wood, by: Melissa Albert

January 30th
Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”
Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who

may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

I have seen this book all over bookstagram recently, (which I expected. This book is gorgeous.) and though I had seen it around quite a bit, I had not looked into the synopsis. So, as I was going through a list of all the January releases, I clicked on this book to see what it was all about, and I am so glad that I did. One of my favorite book tropes is when there is a character or element of the plot that includes a writer/story. What's a more relevant topic to a book lover than that of stories and writers? This book seems like the combination of Furthermore, by Tahereh Mafi, and Everything All at Once, by Katrina Leno, which were two books that I adored, so I think this book has potential to be great. (Click the links to check out my reviews for the books mentioned.)

I cannot believe how many great new books are coming out in January. I cannot wait to be able to read them. Just like always, be sure to let me know if you are excited about the same books, or if there are other books I should be looking forward to in the comments below!

The 2018 Book Insider,
Ashton

When you handle books all day long, every new one is a friend and a temptation.

— Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian

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