2019 release

‘The Heart of a Changeling’ Caitlyn E. Lloyd

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synopsis

Nora’s entire life has been marked with bad luck and horrible accidents. With so much tragedy in her past, all she dreams of is a normal life. But when a camping trip is cut short by a brutal attack and a kidnapping that nearly costs Nora her life, she is thrown headfirst into Avalon—a world where magic thrives, and the creatures of myth and legend all vie for dominance. This is the world of the Fae, and this dark realm claims Nora as one of its own. She’s a Changeling of unknown origin—a Fae child hidden at birth in the human world…

The synopsis is much longer, and the full synopsis is on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40674201-the-heart-of-a-changeling)

review

I have so many feelings about this book! It was completely amazing, and now I am in love with it. I loved how the fae were presented, and the characters were so interesting. For me it was like ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ and ‘The Cruel Prince’ meets the Darkling from ‘Grisha Trilogy’, and I am here for it. It has been two months since I was grinning throughout the whole book, and I can’t remember the last time the main protagonist made me actually like her.

Nora is sassy and does not take shit (excuse my language) from anyone, even the Autumn Princess and the Winter King. She is fearless, and even when she is scared (which does not happen a lot) she does not show it. And Nora is actually funny, which so unusual for the main protagonist. But my heart was absolutely stolen by the fae – Serkhele and Carrious. Carrious is your typical asshole friend, who actually cares a lot. I am a sucker for asshole best-friends, both in real life and in books. And Serkhele – Oh. My. God. He is absolutely dashing, and I love his cold heart. I think he is my new book boyfriend (boyfriend #3). Serkhele have me serious the Darkling vibe, but without all the psycho stuff (which put me off in the Darkling). Serkhele’s backstory absolutely killed me (in a good sense).

I love how the fae are presented in the book – the world is very well-planned, and I really liked how the author implemented explanations into the story. That’s what I usually don’t like about fantasy books – the worlds are usually too complicated and are not explained well. This was not the case here – everything was clarified throughout the book. The Winter Court is so freaking incredible that I think I now have a new favourite court. Also, I kind of loved all the Shakespeare reference with Titania.

I know it sounds too good to be true, but I loved absolutely everything about this book. I loved all the fae, the world-building, the characters, the plot twists, and I even loved the ending, even though it absolutely broke my heart. I cannot wait to read the second book in the series, which comes out in the spring of 2020 so keep your eyes open for it!

Disclaimer: I was provided with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Most anticipated releases of the 2019

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If you listen closely, I bet you could hear my wallet screaming in the distance. There are so many amazing books coming out in 2019, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to discover more during the year. But here are the continuations of series’, and some new books by my favourite authors. Let me know which book you are most excited for in 2019!

‘The Wicked King’ Holly Black
release date: January 8th

Number 1 just had to be ‘The Wicked King’ by Holly Black. To be honest, at first I was a bit disappointed by ‘The Cruel Prince’, but I’m not sure what I expected. But the more I think about that book, the more I love it. What I’m most excited for in this sequel, is the chemistry between Cardan and Jude. I saw a few spoilers on Instagram, and I have a feeling their cooperation is going to be full of emotions. I only hope that Cardan is not going to do anything stupid.

‘The King of Scars’ Leigh Bardugo
release date: January 29th, 2019

How can somebody who has read ‘The Grisha Trilogy’ not be anticipating this book?! How? Honestly, tell me your secret, because I feel like I might actually die from wanting to read it! Nikolai is just so dreamy, and cute, and dangerous. Basically, he is many things and I love him so much. I’m so glad he got his own duology and I’m even more glad that Nina Zenik is going to be in it.

‘Evermore’ Sara Holland
release date: December 31st, 2018

I know, technically it’s out in 2018, but I’m going to get my hands on it in 2019 so it counts, okay? Besides, I wanted to mention it, because I freakin’ adore ‘Everless’. I cannot wait to follow Jules in her escape, and I’m curious about what the main villain is going to do next (see, I’m trying to go spoilers free). What is even more exciting, ‘Everless’ is going to be a duology – which means that ‘Evermore’ is going to be full of action.

‘Children of Virtue and Vengeance’ by Tomi Adeyemi
release date: March 5th, 2019

Okay, I might have been skeptical a little bit about ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ until I have read it. I’m totally in love with Zelie’s strong character and her temper (which gets her in trouble so much) and other characters, and the plot. Basically, it was amazing and reading it felt like magic. I cannot wait to see what Tomi Adeyemi has in store for the second part.

‘Ninth House’ by Leigh Bardugo
release date: June 4th, 2019

Let’s be honest, I would read anything by Leigh Bardugo. Not only is this book written by one of my favourite authors ever, but the synopsis is also amazing – a story about a female character with a criminal past who is a freshman at Yale University where she has to observe Yale’s secret societies. Am I the only one with the feeling that I’m gonna love the main character, Alex Stern, as much as I love Kaz and Nikolai?

‘The Tyrant’s Tomb’ by Rick Riordan
release date: 2019

The fourth part of ‘Trials of Apollo’ is coming our way and honestly, I’m so happy – I have loved Rick Riordan’s books for what seems like a forever now. I was so sad when ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ series ended, but luckily Rick Riordan is apparently a book-producing factory so we got a lot of more books from him. ‘Trials of Apollo’ immediately captured my heart, mainly because Apollo is my favorite Greek god, but also because the idea of a god being human in a modern setting is incredible.

‘A Curse So Dark and Lonely’ Brigid Kemmerer
release date: January 29th, 2019

Honestly, I was going through Goodreads and this title caught my attention. Then I read the review and decided that I need to read this book ASAP. I mean, c’mon, a retelling of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ with a modern setting and a magical world? Count me in, please! Also, I’m just so curious about the details of the curse in this book, because it sounds so different from the original story.

‘Broken Throne’ Victoria Aveyard
release date: May 2019

I’m usually not a big fan of short stories, but I got so excited when Victoria Aveyard announced ‘Broken Throne’ on her Instagram. I cannot wait to read more about Mare, Cal, and Kilorn. I do not know for sure when its action is going to be suited in, but I suspect it will be some kind of continuation of ‘War Storm’. Probably, a collection of stories in a new realm. I certainly hope we will get some Mare and Cal romance – it would be such a disappointment if they didn’t end up together.

‘Into the Crooked Place’ Alexandra Christo
release date: October 2019

After reading (and falling madly in love with) ‘To Kill a Kingdom’, I will read anything written by Alexandra Christo. Even if it was a 300-page conversation between Lira and Elian. I’m serious. But I have read the synopsis of ‘Into the Crooked Place’ and I’m getting a ‘Six of Crows’ kinda vibe which, combined with an author behind it, guarantees my endless love for this book.
‘Into the Crooked Place’ is going to be about four young crooks (get it? ‘Into a Crooked Place’!) who go on a mission to take down their leader after they discover his newest plot. The book also involves magic which I fully support.

‘Two Can Keep s Secret’ Karen M. McManus
release date: January 8th, 2019

I adore ‘One of Us is Lying’ and, while browsing Goodreads, I came upon this new book by Karen McManus and apparently it is going to have a Riverdale vibe. I have a weakness for books which action is set in small-towns – they always have the most outrageous stories, and I live for drama. The title of the book makes me think of TV show ‘Pretty Little Liars’, and whether it’s a PLL or Riverdale vibe, I have a feeling I’m going to love this as I love ‘One of  Us is Lying’.
‘Two Can Keep a Secret’ is about Ellery, who has to move to small Echo Ridge to live with her grandmother. The town has a history of a missing girl and a murder during prom night. Now, somebody promises to make it all happen again. Ellery quickly learns that everybody in Echo Ridge has their secrets, and it’s safer to keep them to yourself.