Precommendations: Volume 2, Issue 12

       ​​‘Tis the season for giving, especially new YA books. I can’t believe it’s December already, which means is my last edition of Precommendations: Volume 2! 2018 has been a year full of fantastic new releases, and this month is no different. Make sure you let me know what books you are looking forward to being released this month, as well as if you would like to see me do this series again next year!

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​Queen of Air and Darkness
by Cassandra Clare

December 4th
       What if damnation is the price of true love?
       Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks. 
       Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow 

​World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

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       This one, I think, is a given and on just about everyone’s list for December. Any time Cassie comes out with a new book, the young adult reading community goes crazy. I love all of the Shadowhunter books, so I am excited to see how this trilogy plays out. It also makes me wonder how Cassie will continue the Shadowhunter saga. Who’s story will she tell next?

P.S. Is this an inconvenient time to mention I haven’t read LoS yet…?
P.P.S I might have a giveaway for LoS in celebration of QoAaD release. Let me know if you’re interested. :)

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Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful
by Arwen Elys Dayton

December 4th
       For fans of television shows Black Mirror and Westworld, this compelling, mind-bending novel is a twisted look into the future, exploring how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimen and what it means to be human at all.
       Set in our world, spanning the near to distant futures, Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is a novel made up of six interconnected stories that ask how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimens, and how hard that will push the definition of "human."
       This extraordinary work explores the amazing possibilities of genetic manipulation and

​life extension, as well as the ethical quandaries that will arise with these advances. The results range from the heavenly to the monstrous. Deeply thoughtful, poignant, horrifying, and action-packed, Arwen Elys Dayton's Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is groundbreaking in both form and substance.

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       I haven’t read any of Arwen’s books before, but this one grabbed my attention as soon as I read the blurb. Instead of being one full story, this novel is a compilation of six short stories. The stories sound very intelligent, and I’m excited to see how deep they delve into their subject matter. It’ll be neat to see how it is received throughout the bookish community.

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The Disasters
by M K England

December 18th
​       The Breakfast Club meets Guardians of the Galaxy in this YA sci-fi adventure by debut author M. K. England.
       Hotshot pilot Nax Hall has a history of making poor life choices. So it’s not exactly a surprise when he’s kicked out of the elite Ellis Station Academy in less than twenty-four hours. But Nax’s one-way trip back to Earth is cut short when a terrorist group attacks the Academy.
       Nax and three other washouts escape—barely—but they’re also the sole witnesses to the biggest crime in the history of space colonization. And the perfect scapegoats.
       On the run, Nax and his fellow failures plan to

pull off a dangerous heist to spread the truth. Because they may not be “Academy material,” and they may not even get along, but they’re the only ones left to step up and fight.
       Full of high-stakes action, subversive humor, and underdogs becoming heroes, this YA sci-fi adventure is perfect for fans of Illuminae, Heart of Iron, or the cult classic TV show Firefly and is also a page-turning thrill ride that anyone—not just space nerds—can enjoy.

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       I haven't heard anyone talking about this book, which makes reading it that much better. I only found out about this book when I was doing my research for this post, and I’m glad I stumbled upon it. I love space adventures, and this book reminds me of Illuminae, which I loved, so I can’t wait to see how successful this book becomes. 

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29 Dates
by Melissa de la Cruz

December 18th
       Jisu's traditional South Korean parents are concerned by what they see as her lack of attention to her schoolwork and her future. Working with Seoul's premiere matchmaker to find the right boyfriend is one step toward ensuring Jisu's success, and going on the recommended dates is Jisu's compromise to please her parents while finding space to figure out her own dreams. But when she flubs a test then skips out on a date to spend time with friends, her fed-up parents shock her by shipping her off to a private school in San Francisco. Where she'll have the opportunity to shine academically—and be set up on more dates!

​       Navigating her host family, her new city and school, and more dates, Jisu finds comfort in taking the photographs that populate her ever-growing social media account. Soon attention from two very different boys sends Jisu into a tailspin of soul-searching. As her passion for photography lights her on fire, does she even want to find The One? And what if her One isn't parent and matchmaker approved?

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       I love “rom-com”y books, and this one sounds like a lot of fun! This book reminds me SO MUCH of The Way You Make Me Feel, with its Asian rep and a rebellious main character, and I loved that book too! The main character is also interested in photography and social media, so I find her super relatable already. I’m just hoping this book ends up being as funny as it is cute. 

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My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life
by Rachel Cohn

December 18th
       "I'm here to take you to live with your father. In Tokyo, Japan! Happy birthday!"
       In the Land of the Rising Sun, where high culture meets high kitsch, and fashion and technology are at the forefront of the First World's future, the foreign-born teen elite attend ICS-the International Collegiate School of Tokyo. Their accents are fluid. Their homes are ridiculously posh. Their sports games often involve a (private) plane trip to another country. They miss school because of jet lag and visa issues. When they get in trouble, they seek diplomatic immunity.
       Enter foster-kid-out-of-water Elle Zoellner, 

who, on her sixteenth birthday discovers that her long-lost father, Kenji Takahari, is actually a Japanese hotel mogul and wants her to come live with him. Um, yes, please! Elle jets off first class from Washington D.C. to Tokyo, which seems like a dream come true. Until she meets her enigmatic father, her way-too-fab aunt, and her hyper-critical grandmother, who seems to wish Elle didn't exist. In an effort to please her new family, Elle falls in with the Ex-Brats, a troupe of uber-cool international kids who spend money like it's air. But when she starts to crush on a boy named Ryuu, who's frozen out by the Brats and despised by her new family, her already tenuous living situation just might implode.
       My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life is about learning what it is to be a family, and finding the inner strength to be yourself, even in the most extreme circumstances. 

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       Did anyone else read this book and think, “Is this the YA version of Crazy Rich Asians?” Because I know I did. This book sounds like a bunch of crazy shenanigans, and I can’t wait to see how it all intertwines and plays out. I also really liked Rachel Cohn’s Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, which she wrote with David Leviathan. Hopefully, this book will be even better!

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       I am so excited for all these releases, and I can't wait to read them soon! Let me know if you have already read them. 

Your holiday-themed blogger,
Ashton

Let's Discuss:
What books are you looking forward to reading this month?
​What books are on your Holiday Wish List?