The 2015 proof copies have started to come through my letterbox and so my mind is once again turning to the amazing releases I'm looking forward to reading next year. Like last year I've decided to share some of the books I'm most excited about with you. This is going to be a three part series which will all together showcase the top 30 books that I'm excited to read in 2015. For today's post we'll be looking at books that are either the first in a new series, a debut or a stand alone. Here are my top ten books in no particular order...
None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
Coming April 28th 2015
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Synopsis: Middlesex meets Mean Girls in this one-of-a-kind YA debut.
What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?
When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she’s decided that she’s ready to take things to the next level with him.
But Kristin’s first time isn’t the perfect moment she’s planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy “parts.”
Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin’s world completely unravels. With everything she thought she knew thrown into question, can she come to terms with her new self?
Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.
Why I Want to Read it – Diverse YA anyone? I believe this is a debut novel and I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for my Kindle from Edelweiss but since it's not out until April I can't justify reading it just yet and the wait is killing me! This sounds like something really different and I hope this is the powerful and moving story I want it to be.
Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby
Coming April 21st 2015
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Synopsis: When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.
After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all.
Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.
Why I Want to Read it – This is another April release that I'm lucky enough to already have on my Kindle but really should wait a bit longer to read. My self control is strong guys! I've never read Jessi Kirby's books before but have heard wonderful things about them. I think the idea behind this one is so clever. When you get all emotional reading the synopsis you know it's going to be a good read!
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Coming May 7th 2015
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Synopsis: Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.
Why I Want to Read it – This is a new Fantasy series from Sarah J. Maas inspired by my favourite fairytale Beauty and the Beast, need I say more really? I want this more than I want Christmas. In fact if I could wish for one book to read early from this list it would be this book. NEED!!!
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
Coming June 2nd 2015
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Synopsis: In the wake of the deadly devastation of luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace, rescued from the ocean after torturous days adrift with her dying friend Libby, knows that the Persephone wasn’t sunk by a rogue wave as survivors Senator Wells and his son are claiming—it was attacked.
To ensure her safety from the obviously dangerous and very powerful Wells family, Libby’s father helps newly orphaned Frances assume Libby’s identity. Frances has spent years in hiding, transforming herself into Libby, and she can no longer allow the people who murdered her entire family and Libby to get away with it. After years of careful plotting, she’s ready to set her revenge plans into motion—even if it means taking down the boy she’d once been in love with: the senator’s son.
The game has just begun, and Frances is not only playing dirty, she's playing to win.
Why I Want to Read it – YES PLEASE!!! Thrillers about revenge are my favourite and I just know I'm going to have so much fun reading this. Now that the Burn for Burn series is finished I need a similar book on my TBR and this sounds like it will hit the spot nicely.
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
Coming June 16th 2015
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Synopsis: If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.
Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.
Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.
Caroline introduces Sam to the Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.
Why I Want to Read it – This is a book that I want to read for purely personal reasons. If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know that I have OCD. I haven't come across that many books about this mental illness but when I have it tends to be about the type most people have heard of which is to do with obsessive cleanliness and hygiene. I have the same type of OCD as the main character in this book and I'm really looking forward to reading about somebody like me.
All the Rage by Courtney Summers
Coming April 14th 2015
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Synopsis: The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous.But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now — but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.
With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?
Why I Want to Read it – I adore Courtney Summers she writes the best angry girls and I just know that I'm going to be supporting Romy right from the start. Sadly I feel like I've heard this story countless times before both in real life and in the media and I'm really curious to see how Courtney Summers tackles this topic in her book. I feel like I'm going to have all the rage AND all the empathy when reading this.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Coming February 10th 2015
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Synopsis: The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?
Why I Want to Read it – I love YA Fantasy and am always on the look out for a new series to get excited about! I know a few people who've read early copies of this already and have absolutely loved it. I think this will be one of the big lead titles for next year.
The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
Coming March 24th 2015
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Synopsis: The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices—one still living and one long dead. On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement. On the inside, within the walls of a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries.
We hear Amber’s story and Violet’s, and through them Orianna’s, first from one angle, then from another, until gradually we begin to get the whole picture—which is not necessarily the one that either Amber or Violet wants us to see.
Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and innocence, and what happens when one is mistaken for the other.
Why I Want to Read it – I haven't read anything by this author before but when I stumbled across this one on Goodreads the synopsis really drew me in. This sounds like a really mysterious and lyrical read and basically like something I'd love.
My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga
Coming February 19th 2015
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Synopsis: Aysel and Roman are practically strangers, but they've been drawn into an unthinkable partnership. In a month's time, they plan to commit suicide - together.
Aysel knows why she wants to die: being the daughter of a murderer doesn't equal normal, well-adjusted teenager. But she can't figure out why handsome, popular Roman wants to end it all....and why he's even more determined than she is.
With the deadline getting closer, something starts to grow between Aysel and Roman - a feeling she never thought she would experience. It seems there might be something to live for, after all - but is Aysel in so deep she can't turn back?
Why I Want to Read it – like 'Things We Know by Heart' this book sounds like a really emotional read that will make me cry. I love books that pull on my heartstrings and make me think about life.
The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey
Coming April 28th 2015
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Synopsis: Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.
Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.
Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.
But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.
Why I Want to Read it – This one is being pitched as perfect for fans of Daughter of Smoke and Bone which is one of my favourite series. I received a proof copy of this last week and I can't wait for next year to arrive so I can get stuck in!
I hope that some of my picks have caught your interest and that you'll be adding them to your own TBR and wishlists!
Make sure you stop by the blog again on Friday for Part 2 of My Most Anticipated Books of 2015 series - next time I'll be talking sequels!
