Here are some of my most anticipated reads of the year to come!

JANUARY

8th – In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children, #4) – Seanan McGuire

What happens to children after they return from Narnia or Wonderland or Oz?  When the fairy tale’s over, children struggle to adjust to normal life.  This series begins at a boarding school for children who have returned and find real life less-than-dazzling.  In An Absent Dream follows Lundy, a serious-minded girl, who finds a door to the Goblin Market, where nothing is what it seems.

8th – The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2) – Holly Black

In the first book of this series, The Cruel Prince, Jude and her twin sister, Taryn, see their parents murdered by an faerie, who swoops them away to the land of Fae.  Years later, the girls have no desire to return to their world, but they’re not exactly fitting in either.  In the Wicked King, Jude finds herself bound to the wicked king, Cardan.  She must navigate the shifting alliances of Fae politics, while dealing with her own complicated feelings for the fae she despises.

22nd – The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious, #2) – Maureen Johnson

In the follow up to Truly Devious, we catch up with Stevie Bell, who has been sent to a boarding school for extraordinary individuals.  Stevie, a true crime aficionado, has resolved to solve the mystery of the Ellingham murders.  She comes so close to the truth in the first book, only to get caught up in a mystery of her own.  In this book, Stevie’s parents pull her out of Ellingham Academy and she struggles to adjust to life outside.  But when she’s offered an opportunity to return by a despised politician, she jumps at the chance.  Will she be able to solve the mystery of Ellingham?

29th – King of Scars (Nikolai Duology, #1) – Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars picks up where the Grisahaverse left off.  Young King Nikolai Lantsov, must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.  But the dark magic inside him is growing stronger.  With the help of a young monk and legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will fight the deepest darkest magic and try to vanquish the terrible legacy inside himself.

FEBRUARY

5th – Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy, #1) – Marlon James

Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter and tracker.  He is engaged to track down a boy who mysteriously disappeared years earlier.  He joins with a band of unusual characters, but they are set upon by creatures intent on destroying them.

26th – The Priory of the Orange Tree – Samantha Shannon

Still unwed, Queen Sabran, the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction.

Ead Duryan is an outsider, a lady-in-waiting at court and a member of a hidden society of mages who vows to protect the queen.

Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but must make a choice that could see her dream unraveling.

MARCH

15th – To Best the Boys – Mary Webber

Every year, all eligible-aged boys from Pinsbury Port receive an invitation to compete for an esteemed scholarship.  Sixteen-year-old , Rhen Tellur, is not interested in wifely duties and longs to become a scientist.  When her town is plagued by a deadly disease, Rehn disguises herself as a boy and enters the labryinth to best the boys and win a scholarship.

APRIL

2nd – Descendant of the Crane – Joan He

Princess Hesina of Yan longs for an ordinary life. But when her father dies, she’s suddenly thrust into the position of Queen.  What’s worse, she believes her father was murdered and that the killer is in her inner circle.

Will Hesina find justice for her father and adjust to her new role as Queen?  How just how far will she be willing to go?

30th – Hot Dog Girl – Jennifer Dugan

Lou Parker is determined to have the most epic summer of a her life. Just a few things stand in her way.  She’s hired as a giant dancing hot dog at Magic Castle Playland .  Her crush already has a girlfriend.  And her best friend resists all attempts to be set up.

MAY

14th – We Hunt the Flame – Hafsah Faizel

Zafira disguises herself as a man to hunt the cursed forest to feed her people.   Nasir, the Prince of Death, assassinates anyone foolish enough to defy the king’s rules.  Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact and restore magic to her land.  Nasir is sent on a similar mission – to retrieve the artifact and kill the hunter (Zafira).  But an ancient evil is unfolding, threatening to engulf them both.

14th – I Wish You All the Best – Mason Deaver

When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister.

Ben’s attempts to stay under the radar at school their senior year are thwarted by Nathan Allan, who is determined to take Ben under his wing. As their friendship grows, so do their feelings for each other.

28th – These Witches Don’t Burn – Isabel Sterling May 28th, 2019

Hannah is an Elemental witch, living in Salem, Massachusetts.  She spends most of her time hiding her magic and dodging her ex-girlfriend and fellow Elemental Witch, Veronica.  But when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the school’s end of the year bonfire, Hannah must pair up with Veronica to save the coven and the town.

JUNE

4th – Sorcery of Thorns – Margaret Rogerson

Elisabeth was raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries.  When an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire, Elisabeth’s desperate attempt to stop it, implicates her in the crime.  She is thrown from the library and must team up with her sworn enemy – sorcerer, Nathan Thorn.  

She finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy and must fight to save the Libraries and the world.

JULY

9th – Wilder Girls – Rory Power

It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine.   The teachers are dead and the Tox has begun to infect the students.  Cut off from the rest of the world on their island home, the girls don’t dare to venture beyond the school’s fence.  But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything – including breaking quarantine and going beyond the fence.

A modern, feminist retelling of Lord of the Flies.

9th – The Storm Crow – Kalyn Josephson

Magical Crows are part of every aspect of life in Rhodaire…until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.

Princess Thia is thrown into a deep depression, while her sister, Caliza is busy running the Kingdom.  But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the prince of Illucia, Thia is spurred into action.  After stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rookery, Thia and Caliza devise a secret plan to hatch the egg and get back what was stolen from them.

30th – Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1) – Elizabeth Lim

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well.  When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, Maia poses as a boy to take his place.  She is one of twelve tailors competing in challenges to prove their artistry and skill.

For the final challenge, she must sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be. She embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom to seek the materials and finds more than she ever could have ever imagined.

SEPTEMBER

24th – Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2) – Rainbow Rowell

Sequel to Carry On.  No description yet.

NOVEMBER

5th – The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3) – Neal Schusterman

Third in the Arc of the Scythe trilogy. No description yet.

DECEMBER

3rd – Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha, #2) – Tomi Adeyemi

In Children of Blood and Bone, Zélie and Amari succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But in Children of Virtue and Vengeance, we discover the ritual was more powerful than even they imagined. It has also reignited long-buried powers of nobles with magic ancestry.

Now, Zélie must unite the magi and secure Amari’s right to the throne, all while the monarchy and militia try to take her down.

What books are you looking forward to in 2019?  Any you thought I missed?