My Most Anticipated Reads of September 2017
School has almost arrived upon us, which means homework and exams, new acquaintances and old friends come together, and . . . books!
Fall is one of the best times of the year to sit down and read a book, light a candle and turn on some classical and calming music as you get cozy with comfortable socks on your feet, a nice, warm blanket to cover your legs and a cup of tea on the side table next to you.
So grab a blanket and some tea and get caught up on the newest books in September of 2017, some of which you might find yourself reading later on this month.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust
At sixteen, Mina’s mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat for anyone--has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.
Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen in flesh, Lynet would rather be her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes her Queen of the Southern Territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something similar to hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do--and who to be-- to win back the only mother she’s ever known . . . or else defeat her once and for all.
Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girl Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything--unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.
Release Date: September 5th, 2017
I Hate Everyone But You by Allison Raskin and Gaby Dunn
Dear Best Friend,
I can already tell that I hate everyone but you.
Sincerely, Ava Helmer
(that brunette who won’t leave you alone)
We’re still in the same room, you weirdo.
Stop crying.
G
So begins a series of text messages and emails between two best friends, Ava and Gen, as they head off to their first semesters at colleges on opposite sides of the country. From first loves to weird roommates, heartbreak, self-discovery, coming out and mental health, the two best friends will document every moment to each other. But as both of them change and grow into their new lives, will their friendship be able to survive the distance?
Release Date: September 5th, 2017
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the Glass Castle has shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.
His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica--the stronghold of the southern country’s mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.
But what they discover in Antica will change them both-- and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.
Release Date: September 5th, 2017
Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff
Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church.
When it’s announced that the Scaeva and the Duomo will be making a rare public announcement at the conclusion of the Grand Games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself to a gladiatorial collegium for a chance to finally end them. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies fold in the collegium walls, Mia will be forced to choose between loyalty and revenge, and discover a secret that could change the very face of her world.
Release Date: September 5th, 2017
Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Julie is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.
Release Date: September 5th, 2017
Warcross by Marie Lu
For the millions who log in everyday, Warcross isn’t just a game--it’s a way of life. The obsession started years ago and its fanbase now spans the globe, some eager to escape reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships--only to accidently glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.
Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emiko is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside for this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika gets whisked off to Tokyo and is thrust out into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only ever dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.
Release Date: September 12th, 2017
Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows
Mira has always been a beacon of hope for the Fallen Isles, perfect and beautiful--or at least that’s how she’s forced to appear. But when she discovers a dangerous secret, Mira is betrayed by those closest to her and is sentenced to the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles.
Except Mira is over being a pawn. Fighting to survive outer threats and inner demons of mental illness, Mira must find her inner fire and scorching truth about her own endangered magic--until her world collapses.
And that’s all before she ignites.
Release Date: September 12th, 2017
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
The battle for the crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?
With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before--ones that put those around her in danger that she can’t seem to prevent.
Release Date: September 12th, 2017
Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
Jane has lived an ordinary life and has been raised by her Aunt Magnolia-- an adjunct professor and deep sea photographer. Jane counted on Magnolia to make the world feel expansive and to turn life into one big adventure. But Aunt Magnolia was lost a few months ago in Antarctica on one of her expeditions.
Now, with no direction, a year out of high school, and obsessed with making umbrellas that look like her own dreams (but mostly mourning her aunt), she is easily swept away by Kiran Thrash-- a glamourous, capricious acquaintance who shows up and asks Jane to accompany her to a gala at her family’s island mansion called Tu Reviens.
Jane remembers her aunt telling her: “If anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens promise me that you’ll go.” With nothing but a trunkful of umbrella parts to her name, Jane ventures out to the Thrash estate. Then her story takes a turn, or rather, five turns. What Jane doesn’t know is that Tu Reviens will offer her choices than can ultimately determine her unearthed life. But at Tu Reviens, every choice has a reward, or a price.
Release Date: September 19th, 2017
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
MOXIE GIRLS FIGHT BACK!
Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with the school administration at her small-town Texas high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress-codes, hallway harassment, and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.
Viv’s mom was always tough-as-nails punk rock Riot Grrrl in the ‘90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother’s past and creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She’s blowing off steam, but other girls respond. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realizes that she has started nothing short of a girl revolution.
Release Date: September 19th, 2017
The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo
Love speaks in flowers. The truth requires thorns.
Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.
Release Date: September 26th, 2017
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.
Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.
Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.
Release Date: September 26th, 2017
Invictus by Ryan Graudin
Time flies when you’re plundering history.
Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he’s ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.
But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.
Release Date: September 26th, 2017