2018 Jan 12
2018 promises a wide variety of books that we just can’t wait to get our hands on! Here’s a list of the most anticipated books from January to April ranging from Young Adult to Mystery so you won’t have to search for your quick fix when it’s time.
1. The Cruel Prince- Holly Black
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.
Holly Black has written many a bestselling fantasy book for kids and has a writing style that captivates and enchants her readers. She has wholly mastered the concept of faeries and magic and we can expect the very best in this Young-Adult fantasy with a promised fast-paced adventure.
Releasing in: January
2. The Widows of Malabar Hill- Sujata Massey
Armed with a legal education from Oxford, Perveen has become one of the first female lawyers in India, especially devoted to championing and protecting women’s rights due to her own tragic personal history. Perveen becomes suspicious when a wealthy Muslim mill owner dies and all three of his widows sign off their inheritance to charity.What will they live on if they forfeit what their husband left them? The Farid widows live in purdah: strict seclusion, never leaving the women’s quarters or speaking to any men. Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian? Perveen tries to investigate and realizes, her instincts about the will were correct when tensions escalate to murder. It’s her responsibility to figure out what really happened on Malabar Hill, and to ensure that nobody is in further danger.
Sujata Massey is well known for her Rei Shimura mystery series, of which ten books were awarded the Agatha and Macavity awards. In this refreshing new read, Massey is sure to give us a thrilling mystery that also covers the obstacles a woman has to overcome to get far in life.
Releasing in: January
3. Love, Hate & Other Filters- Samira Ahmed
American-born seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between her parents traditional ideals of a good Indian daughter (never too far from home and paired off with a Muslim boy her mother deems ‘suitable’) and the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City—and maybe (just maybe) pursuing a boy she’s known from afar since grade school. There’s also the real world, beyond Maya’s control. A horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away turns the community she’s known since birth into people (neighbors and classmates alike) consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs.
In her debut, Ahmed gives us a coming-of-age novel that tackles Islamophobia and also includes a romance that goes against traditional ideals. It is a much needed novel that tackles heavy topics and while reviews are mostly positive on that account, readers should be warned that there is also a great deal of romance than to what is expected.
Release Date: Jan 16th
4. Our Lady of the Prairie- Thisbe Nissen
After falling headlong into a passionate affair during a semester spent teaching in Ohio, Phillipa returns home to Iowa for her daughter Ginny’s wedding. There, Phillipa must endure (among other things) a wedding-day tornado, a menace of a mother-in-law who may or may not have been a Nazi collaborator, and the tragicomic revenge fantasies of her heretofore docile husband. Naturally, she does what any newly liberated woman would do: she takes a match to her life on the prairie and then steps back to survey the wreckage.
Written with wit and humor, Thebe Nissen gives us, in typical Nissen-style, a protagonist that is sharp and undoubtedly human in all her flaws, trying to find herself in the personal chaos of her life. Set in Ohio during the campaign for George W. Bush’s second term,Nissen gives us a family drama that promises to be an entertaining read.
Release Date: Jan 23rd
5. The Friend- Sigrid Nunez
After the tragic death of her friend and mentor, a woman finds herself having to look after his dog despite the threat of eviction due to a no pets rule. Her own grief is intensified by the Great Dane’s apparent loss of his owner and she becomes inherently obsessed with his care, unable to leave him alone except for short periods of time despite the worries of everyone around her. Despite coming dangerously close to losing her mind and trouble surmounting, there seems to be better things in store for her and her new friend.
Sigrid Nunez is a phenomenal writer who has won many awards (4 Pushcart Prizes, a Whiting Writer’s Award, a Berlin Prize Fellowship and more). In her new novel she gives us a masterpiece on the topic of grief and progression and simply, the bond between a woman and her dog.
Release Date: Feb 6th
6. The Great Alone- Kristin Hannah
Ernt Allbright is a former POW. A changed man, he makes an impulsive decision to move to Alaska after losing his job.Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The generosity of the locals makes up for the Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources. But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.
The bestselling author of The Nightingale brings us another emotional and moving novel, this time set in Alaska 1974, a beautiful yet dangerous place. This is a novel that emphasizes on the importance of love, endurance and survival of the mind, heart and body.
Release Date: Feb 6th
7. Immortal Reign- Morgan Rhodes
As two lethal elemental gods set out to destroy Mytica, sworn enemies must become allies in the final fight to save the kingdoms. Dark magic causes widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing and unrest is stirring throughout the land. Love, power and destiny will be put to the test in the sixth installment of Falling Kingdoms.
This is a Young-Adult Fantasy that features multiple POV’s, magic, continuous political war and fast paced-action. Expect cliffhangers, plot twists, blood and destruction in Morgan Rhodes’ latest instalment. This is a series perfect for fantasy lovers.
Release Date- Feb 6th
8. Obsidio- Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they’ll find seven months after the invasion? Meanwhile, Kady’s cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza’s ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha’s past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heros will fall, and hearts will be broken.
The bestselling author duo is back with their last installment in the Illuminae Files trilogy. Despite the series having an epistolary format that tends to hinder the reading process, it is a unique read that combines space opera, romance, hackers and a mentally unstable battleship that continues on in its finale Obsidio.
Release Date: March 13th
9. Circe- Madeline Miller
When a daughter of the Gods is born with the forbidden power of witchcraft, she is banished. She learns to harness her abilities and draw strength from nature but also attracts the attention and wrath of men and gods, destined to pass through her place of exile. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.
Madeline Miller, author the New York Times bestseller The Song of Achilles (to which she devoted ten years of her life) is back with more Greek mythology. Reviews are mostly positive, claiming Circe to be a daring read that breathes life into the world of Gods and heroes.
Release Date: April 10th
10. Leah on the Offbeat – Becky Albertalli
Drummer Leah Burke is an anomaly in her friend group: the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. A not-so-open bisexual, Leah feels helpless when her rock-solid friend group start to drift apart with tensions running high from college and prom looming in the near future. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.
Becky Albertalli is back with her sequel to the endearing novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. In a refreshing read, Albertalli creates characters away from the norm that are in much need of the spotlight while more often focusing on their quests for sexual identity, acceptance and happiness. We can expect no less than a touching read from her latest novel.
Release Date- April 24th
