#TopTenTuesday: Top 10 Books I Want to Read in 2018
For 2018, I set my Goodreads Challenge at 100 books for the year, and one of my bookish resolutions was to actually get through some of the books on my TBR that I already OWN. While I’ve been making pretty good headway, there’s also some amazing new releases coming out this year that I absolutely can’t wait to read! This list is my Top Ten Books I want to read this year. Some I already have on my shelves, and some aren’t even released yet! Here's my top ten list of books I can't wait to read. What's on your list?
1. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Release Date: August 20, 2013
Goodreads Synopsis:
19-year-old Paige is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped. She is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.
Why I'm Excited:
Some of my best friends have been recommending this book for years, and I've heard the slow-burn romance is to die for!
2. My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton
Release Date: June 26, 2018
Goodreads Synopsis:
You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!) Or does she? Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.
Why I'm Excited:
My Lady Jane, the first book in the set of standalones based on historical and literary Janes, is one of my favorite books. It is so hilarious and well done, filled with magic and history and comedy. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books too, so I can't wait to see how the authors reinvent this classic story.
3. The Case For Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro
Release Date: March 6, 2018
Goodreads Synopsis:
It’s been a year since the shocking death of August Moriarty, and Jamie and Charlotte haven’t spoken. Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident, with a nice girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for. Until strange things start happening to him. Strange things that might mean nothing at all—or that someone is after him again. Charlotte is on the run, from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex. Charlotte wants it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. She knows that her Watson can’t forgive her. Holmes and Watson may not be looking to reconcile, but there is someone who wants the team back together. Someone who has been quietly observing them both. Making plans. Biding their time. Someone who wants to see one of them suffer and the other one dead. In this final explosive book in the Charlotte Holmes trilogy, Holmes and Watson face the ultimate test: they must unravel the case of their lives without unraveling each other.
Why I'm Excited:
A Study in Charlotte was my favorite book that I read in January 2018! I love Sherlock and any kind of retelling of the Sherlock characters/stories. This series is so well written and intriguing, and I love how Sherlock, Watson and Moriarty are reinvented into modern day teenagers.
4. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Goodreads Synopsis:
The Winter Solstice. In a week. I was still new enough to being High Lady that I had no idea what my formal role was to be. If we'd have a High Priestess do some odious ceremony, as lanthe had done the year before. A year. Gods, nearly a year since Rhys had called in his bargain, desperate to get me away from the poison of the Spring Court to save me from my despair. Had he been only a minute later, the Mother knew what would have happened. Where I'd now be. Snow swirled and eddied in the garden, catching in the brown fibers of the burlap covering the shrubs My mate who had worked so hard and so selflessly, all without hope that I would ever be with him We had both fought for that love, bled for it. Rhys had died for it.
Why I'm Excited:
BECAUSE OF RHYS OF COURSE. But really, I loved the ACOTAR trilogy and can't wait to see all my favorite characters together again.
5. Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley
Release Date: May 22, 2000
Goodreads Synopsis:
All the creatures of the forest and field and riverbank knew the infant was special. She was the princess, spirited away from the evil fairy Pernicia on her name-day. But the curse was cast: Rosie was fated to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep-a slumber from which no one would be able to rouse her.
Why I'm Excited:
I LOVE fairytale retellings, and the day after I saw this on my friend's book blog, I started seeing it EVERYWHERE! Goodreads, instagram, blogs, you name it. FATE?! I can't wait to dive into this retelling of Sleeping Beauty.
6. To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Release Date: March 6, 2018
Goodreads Synopsis:
Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever. The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?
Why I'm Excited:
I have the ARC of this book, and although I am only a couple of chapters in, so far it is SO GOOD. I absolutely love the premise; I find it super unique, and you can't go far wrong with murderous sirens and murderous pirate princes!
7. Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
Release Date: October 2, 2018
Goodreads Synopsis:
In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep. Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice--save the woman he loves, or everyone else?--while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she's capable of. As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel's near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?
Why I'm Excited:
Strange the Dreamer was one of my favorite reads of 2017; I adored the lush, descriptive, detailed writing and the overall story! It ended on such a cliffhanger, so I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
8. The Dragonbone Chair by Tag Williams
Release Date: 1988
Goodreads Synopsis:
A war fueled by the powers of dark sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of Osten Ard—for Prester John, the High King, lies dying. And with his death, the Storm King, the undead ruler of the elf-like Sithi, seizes the chance to regain his lost realm through a pact with the newly ascended king. Knowing the consequences of this bargain, the king’s younger brother joins with a small, scattered group of scholars, the League of the Scroll, to confront the true danger threatening Osten Ard. Simon, a kitchen boy from the royal castle unknowingly apprenticed to a member of this League, will be sent on a quest that offers the only hope of salvation, a deadly riddle concerning long-lost swords of power. Compelled by fate and perilous magics, he must leave the only home he’s ever known and face enemies more terrifying than Osten Ard has ever seen, even as the land itself begins to die.
Why I'm Excited:
My older brother recommended this series to me when I was looking for an epic fantasy, and then the very same day I just happened to find it in my local used charity bookshop! Of course I immediately bought it, and can't wait to fall into the epic series.
9. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
Release Date: January 5, 2016
Goodreads Synopsis:
Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home. Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself. In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.
Why I'm Excited:
I've had the Truthwitch series on my TBR list for about two years now! I've heard so many good things about them, and I've decided 2018 is the year I finally read them.
10. Inked Armor by Helena Hunting
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Goodreads Synopsis:
In the wake of losing Tenley Page, tattooist Hayden Stryker's tumultuous past is haunting him. Plagued by nightmares about the murder of his parents, Hayden reaches out again to Tenley. Having run from the man she doesn't believe she deserves, Tenley finally lays her guilt to rest. Despite their intense physical attraction, Hayden and Tenley struggle to repair their fragile emotional connection. As Hayden gets closer to the truth, he must find a way to reconcile his guilt over his parents' death in order to keep the woman who finally cracked his armor, and found her way into his heart.
Why I'm Excited:
I absolutely loved the first book Clipped Wings! It's such a well done New Adult romance, with lots of angst and passion. The ending was such a cliffhanger, so I need to read book two ASAP!
What books are you looking forward to reading most in 2018? Let me know in the comments!