Good morning you guys! I hope you’ve had a good start to your day!
Earlier, while trying to decide what kinds of posts I could bring to the blog in the next few weeks I decided to check back in with my Spring 2018 Releases post to see how I did with the books I talked about and you guys. I talked about a total of 11 books, right? And out of those, I’ve already read 6 and while this might not sound as good – there are still three books that aren’t released yet. So, as of right now I’ve actually read 6 out of 8 books which is freaking awesome.
And because that seems to have worked so well for me, I decided to share some of the summer releases I’m super excited about and hopefully, this will motivate me as much to get these books read too! But I also already know that I’ll get to some of them the day they drop because how could I not??? I even have pre-orders for some of them, that’s how desperate I am to get my hands on a copy of the book.
Before I ramble on for too much longer and this post gets too long, let’s just jump right into the books, shall we?
The first book we’re going to talk about for this post is Renée Ahdieh’s Smoke In The Sun which is the conclusion to her Flame In The Mist duology – which I only read a couple of months ago but I’ve been looking forward to the conclusion ever since! Renée’s writing is just so damn addictive? And her character dynamics are so much fun – to the point that I now need to read her Wraith & Dawn duology too. Like I have any actual time to add new books to my TBR. *shakes head*
And since this is a conclusion, I obviously can’t tell you anything about the plot (wouldn’t want to spoil anyone) so let me tell you what book one is all about!
We follow our main protagonist Mariko as she is en route to the imperial palace where she is supposed to meet her betrothed, unfortunately, Mariko never makes it there as her convoy gets attacked by the Black Clan. Mariko, the sole survivor, disguises herself as a servant boy and infiltrates the Black Clan to find out who ordered the hit on her convoy. During her time with the Black Clan, she starts to question everything she knows about her family, her purpose and more.
You guys, I read this book in two sittings because of its addictive writing style and that one particular character dynamic. Renée got me hooked so early and I can’t wait to see how the story wraps up in this book!
I was just going to say how this upcoming book is so fitting for the upcoming months because it’s contemporary and I want to read all the contemporary – only to find out that I only have two on my list. TWO. People, I am obviously in desperate need of some recommendations, so if you have any, please leave them in the comments below! Thank you.
ANYWAYS, what I actually wanted to talk about was Summer Of Salt by Katrina Leno. I only just found out about this book while looking up some summer releases, but it sounds so good and like it might be something I’ll really enjoy?
In this book, we follow Georgina Fernweh as she impatiently awaits the day when she feels the tingle of magic in her – a magic that has touched all the female members of her family, except Georgina. We follow her during her last summer on her home island as she deals with storms, falling in love and the mystery behind a three-hundred-year-old bird that will teach her the truth about magic – in all its forms.
So far, I haven’t read too many books dealing with magical realism but this just sounds like it might be a really good story, so I am here for it! Have you guys read some of the author’s previous work?
I feel like if you’re going to talk about summer 2018 releases, you can’t not mention Cait’s (aka the writer of the blog Paper Fury) upcoming release A Thousand Perfect Notes. I mean, it’s a fellow blogger releasing a book. An actual novel. With a big publishing house. Of course, we should support this! I’ve seen some of my blogging friends and read and really enjoy this book which definitely made me more curious too!
In Cait’s debut, we follow the story of Beck, who is being forced by his abusive mother to play the piano every day to follow a dream she was never able to fulfill. Beck’s dream, however, is to write his own music but he is afraid to voice it to his mother because she responds to any suggestion of rebellion with violence. When Back meets Augustine, he starts seeing a way out of his situation – if he wants to take it.
The last June release we’re going to be talking about is a book that I have been looking forward to for so long now and I can’t believe that we’re less than a month away from the official release. What book am I talking about? A Reaper At The Gates by Sabaa Tahir, obviously! I recently finished my reread of the first two books and now I am just ready for whatever Sabaa has in store for us with this third book!
And again, as I did with Smoke In The Sun, I won’t talk about the plot of this book to avoid spoilers and instead tell you what An Ember In The Ashes is about!
In AEITA we follow the perspectives of Laia, a girl seeking revenge for her family and an undercover slave at the Empire’s Blackcliff military academy where she crosses paths with one of its best soldiers: Elias. All Elias wants is to break free of Blackcliff, his mother the commandant and everything his life has been so far.
Can you believe I suck this much at summarizing a book I’ve actually read??? Honestly, have I learned nothing in English/German class during my 14 years of school??? *shakes head* You guys should just click here and check out the Goodreads description for more if you want!
I have to say, I really, really enjoyed watching Laia and Elias’ story arcs throughout this series so far and I am so excited (and terrified) to see where else Sabaa is going to take these characters. It can’t be anywhere good after what happened in the second book. xD
If I don’t get utterly destroyed by whatever Sabaa does, I’m sure Kiersten White will take over that job with her conclusion to The Conqueror’s Saga with the release of Bright We Burn.
And since this post is already getting too long as it is and I have some more books I want to talk about, I will link you guys to a post I did last year in anticipation of Now I Rise which gives you five reasons to read this trilogy and I still stand by everything I said there, so please check out this post if you want to know why I think you guys should read this trilogy!
Earlier this year, I read the first book in Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer’s trilogy and I absolutely fell in love with it and actually requested a review copy of the second book (the translated German edition) and got it months ago – but I still haven’t read it. Please don’t ask me why. I have no idea. But I don’t think you actually need to have read the previous two books in order to read this one – which is fantastic if you ask me.
In Record Of A Spaceborn Few, we follow three different characters (it seems) aboard the Exodus Fleet (a ship that is mentioned in The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet) as they try to answer the question ‘What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination?’.
I can’t really give you guys much more information because Goodreads doesn’t offer much and I don’t want to dive too deep into other summaries in case they give away information on the second book (as I haven’t read it yet). All I’ve been able to gather is that we actually get to know Ashby’s (who is the captain in TLWTASAP) sister in this novel, which should be quite interesting I think. Especially since she decided to stay back on the Exodus Fleet while Ashby went off for the stars!
Because I am rather predictive, of course, I couldn’t write this post without including the newest DC Icon’s book that is coming out this summer: Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas! But because I am who I am, I also have to confess that I haven’t read Batman: Nightwalker yet. I know. I am shocked too! I had been looking forward to that book for ages but somehow January just went by and I never actually picked it up. Maybe this release is going to give me that push that I need? 🤞
And since we’re confessing things over here, I’d also like to mention that I have absolutely no idea what this book is about or who the character Catwoman is. I know nothing about the DC comics, actually. And the only reason I first got into this particular series was because of the three women attached to writing these books but then the Wonder Woman hype happened and completely got to me too which had me even more hyped up for the Wonder Woman book. But I do hope that I’ll enjoy Marie and Sarah’s books too!
I was actually first introduced to Sara Raasch through her Snow Like Ashes trilogy which I read (though I haven’t finished it yet…) a couple of years ago and once I heard about These Rebel Waves I just had to put it on my TBR! I actually feel like I’ve been looking forward to this book for ages now? So I’m really happy that the release is happening in the foreseeable future!
In These Rebel Waves, we follow three different characters: a soldier, a pirate and a heretic. The story is set on a rich-with-magic island called Grace Loray that used to be oppressed by Argrid, a country ruled by religion. Five years later, a delegate from Argrid disappears while on Grace Loray for peace talks and the ruler of Argrid demands justice. But our soldier, Adeluna suspects there might be more at work.
The next perspective we follow is that of pirate Devereux, who is part of the stream raiders – a group of people who steal the island’s magic plants to sell them on the black market. When they are accused of having something to do with the disappearance of the delegate, Devereux and Adeluna start working together to find him.
Our last perspective is that of Benat, the son of Argrid’s king and our heretic. His father wants him to reverse his people’s fear of magic but Benat is unsure if he isn’t setting himself up for failure by doing it.
I don’t know about you guys, but to me, this sounds like a really fun and exciting release and I can’t wait to read a new book by Sara Raasch!
How about you guys? What are some summer 2018 release that you’re super excited for and can’t wait to get your hands on? Let me know down in the comments below! And if you were able to read either of these books early – what did you think? Please let me know! 🙂
I can’t wait for reaper at the gates and Catwoman! Awesome list! ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! *counts down days to Reaper*
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just recently got sucked into the Ember series and, even though I am only partway into the second book, I cannot wait to read Reaper at the Gates. Tahir’s writing is so addictive! She crafted such a great story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw you rate the first book and got super excited because you’re reading the series too! I can’t wait to see what you think of book 2!
That’s also the only book I’ve preordered so far because I NEED it in my hands as soon as possible! xD
LikeLike
I‘ve never heard of Summer of Salt before but I just added it to my TBR because it sounds AWESOME!!! I also have an ARC of Smoke in the Sun even though I haven‘t yet read the first book in the series nor any of Renée Ahdieh‘s other books #guilty #thehypeistooreal 🙈
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right? I feel like I haven’t seen anyone talk about that book so far but when I saw it on a list of summer releases the cover drew me in and that synopsis sounds so good – I had to add it!
How did you even get that ARC then? xD But yeah, the hype is SO real with Renée and her books! It’s what got me to pick up Flame In The Mist!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I got too excited when I saw it was available on Netgalley, that‘s how 😂 I definitely want to pick up her books next month!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha, that’s definitely understandable! That’s how I get with anticpated releases too! The second I see something exciting up on NetGalley I have to request it. xD
LikeLike
I can’t wait to read Summer of Salt either, it sounds like such a great book, exactly my kind of story haha 🙂 I haven’t read Flame in the Mist just yet, but … I want to soo badly. Also, need to catch up with the Ember in the Ashes series 🙈🙈 Wonderful list! 🙂 x
LikeLiked by 1 person
YAY, I’m so happy to hear that!
And you totally should, when you have the time! You really enjoyed book 1, right?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeees I really loved it – more than I thought I would, aha 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are so many amazing books being released this summer right? Where are we going to find the time to read them all! 🙂
I’m currently reading Smoke in the Sun and really enjoying it so far, I have a feeling it’s going to end up being a five-star read for me I just love Mariko’s character, also I am so beyond excited for Bright We Burn. Yeah that book is going to destroy me emotionally but it’s going to be an incredible read at the same time so bring it one.
Great post Swetlana, and I hope you enjoy all these books when they’re released as well. 🙂 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m already trying to come up with a plan because I’m sure there’ll be about a million more awesome releases this fall and how on earth will I keep up to date? I’m still behind on last year’s fall releases… xD
Hahaha, I just got SO confused reading about how you’re enjoying Smoke In The Sun because my brain went ‘Smoke Thieves’ the second it saw the word ‘smoke’ in there and I was like ‘Wasn’t she done with that one already?!’ but then I saw Mariko’s name and it finally clicked. xD I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying it though! Is it as good as book one was – so far?
Kiersten White is gonna reduce me to tears, I can already tell. I mean, if she sticks to history, Lada is not gonna make it out alive and I don’t know how I’m supposed to handle that. Plus, who knows who else will suffer!
Thank you, Beth!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tend to keep track of what’s coming out by pre-ordering it on Amazon, then when it’s released it just arrives on my doorstep. 🙂 Easier that way.
Ha, the downfall of having a fair few books with similar titles right? I actually finished it today and really loved it. I think you’d you enjoyed the first book you’ll enjoy this one too.
Oh I’ve pretty much accepted Lada’s is going to die, I think if one of the main three makes it out alive and relatively unscathed that’ll be a happy ending for me! 😀
That’s all right. 🙂 ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve basically given up on preordering via amazon! It usually takes too long to get the book to me and it never arrives near publication date! xD
Oh, I’m really happy to hear that! I can’t wait to see how Renée wraps the story up! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I have Amazon Prime so I make sure I get the books on their release date. It’s worth paying the money considering how much I buy from them. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I spy some very great releases on here! 💗 I’m actually very excited for Cait’s book, it’s amazing that a fellow blogger has their very first book coming out – I love to support that! Plus the synopsis sounds super great! (and very sad too)
I feel like I have been waiting for These Rebel Waves forever too … like?? The book is only coming out now 😮 (please tell me I’m not the only one reading Adeluna as Adelina bc of The Young Elites 😂)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right??? Also, the synopsis KIND OF reminds me of Radio Silence by Alice Oseman because the mother was kind of like that too though not related to music, and I LOVED Radio Silence so I’m excited for sure!
RIGHT??? Okay, so it’s not just me who feels that way! YOU’RE NOT. I had to constantly remind myself to spell it Adeluna while writing about the book – and I haven’t even read The Young Elites trilogy??? I just knew off the main characters name. I bet I’ll read it as Adelina all throughout the book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I have yet to read Radio Silence!! 🙂
It has been ages since she announced the book and I signed up for the newsletter 😂 OMG THANK YOU! I thought that I was the only one, I always read Adelina, because I’ve read the Young Elites and it’s hard read Adeluna instead xD
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so excited for Catwoman!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing list! I’ve been looking for upcoming new releases and these summer reads are just perfect for the season. Summer of Salt sounds like my type of book, so I’ll definitely be adding it to my tbr. YASSS, I’m also excited for A Thousand Perfect Notes because Cait has been such a relatable and inspiring blogger!! I’ve only read Batman Nightwalker but I might read Catwoman as well because I’m intrigued. Thank you so much for sharing these books. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, I’m so happy to hear that you’re adding Summer Of Salt to your TBR too! 😀
LikeLike
I’ve heard of most of these new releases but Summer of Salt is new to me!! The concept sounds lovely; the perfect fluffy summer read 🙂 thanks for recommending!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I feel like almost no one who has read this post and commented on it had heard of Summer Of Salt (like me before writing the post), so I’m really happy we’ve all found a new book for our TBRs!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes definitely!! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
SUMMER OF SALT LOOKS SO GOOOD OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THE COVER IS SO PURE AND BEAUTIFUL AHHHHHH.
ATPN is so good also have you heard about her new novel the boy who steals houses it sounds so good and it’s coming out in 2019 and I NEED IT LIKE I NEED AIR.
ahem.
but these rebel waves sounds so good! I haven’t read an ember in the ashes or flame in the mist so ha, OOPS.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahahahahaha, Ilsa. xD You’re like the #1 ATPN stan on my Twitter timeline I think! xD And yes, I did hear about her new book, actually. 🙂 I follow Cait on Instagram! I can’t wait to hear more about that one, to be honest! And I can’t wait to read ATPN! 😀
ILSA. READ AN EMBER IN THE ASHES.
LikeLiked by 1 person
IVE READ ATPN TWICE I AM THE ONLY STAN. (and okayyyy i might get to it soon it looks cool)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Summer of Salt is so, so, so good. It was enchanting and magical and the beach setting made it the perfect summer read. I wish more people were talking about it! You’re gonna love it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, thank you so much Madalyn for sharing your thoughts on the book! You’re the first person to have actually read the book in these comments! I’m even more excited to read it now! ❤
LikeLike