Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic for bloggers to choose and list their top ten. This week’s theme is Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR List.

So who else is incredibly excited about all the amazing books that are being released in the second half of this year? Some of the conclusions to favourite series are mine are coming out and I cannot wait to get my hands on them. On top of that there are new series being released and even a few books which, although they have been out for a long time now, I am aiming to get around to by the end of this year.

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Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

This was released today and immediately after I finished work I went to the Waterstones at Piccadilly Circus and brought a copy. So much for my book buying ban. I cannot wait to get started on Crooked Kingdom; ever since I finished Six of Crows I’ve been desperate to find out how the story ends for Kaz and his gang.

When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

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Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series is one of my all-time favourites, so all I needed to hear about her new book was that it was an Alice in Wonderland inspired fairytale retelling and it went to the top of my to-read list. For me Marissa Meyer plus Alice in Wonderland equals a winning combination.

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland – the infamous Queen of Hearts – she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favourite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king’s marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

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A Million Worlds With You by Claudia Gray

I read A Thousand Pieces of You back when it was first released and, for some reason, didn’t pick up the second book until a few months ago. That probably ended up being a wise decision given the way Ten Thousand Skies Above You ends. After that cliffhanger I was even more desperate to get my hands on this book than I was before.

A million universes. A million dangers. One destiny.

The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite Caine’s hands. Marguerite has been at the centre of a cross-dimensional feud since she first travelled to another universe using her parents’ invention, the Firebird. Only now has she learned the true plans of the evil Triad Corporation—and that those plans could spell doom for dozens or hundreds of universes, each facing total annihilation.

Paul Markov has always been at Marguerite’s side, but Triad’s last attack has left him a changed man—angry and shadowed by tragedy. He struggles to overcome the damage done to him, but despite Marguerite’s efforts to help, Paul may never be the same again.

So it’s up to Marguerite alone to stop the destruction of the multiverse. Billions of lives are at stake. The risks have never been higher. And Triad has unleashed its ultimate weapon: another dimension’s Marguerite—wicked, psychologically twisted, and always one step ahead.

In the epic conclusion to Claudia Gray’s Firebird trilogy, fate and family will be questioned, loves will be won and lost, and the multiverse will be forever changed. It’s a battle of the Marguerites…and only one can win.

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Replica by Lauren Oliver

This book only made it onto my radar recently when I started seeing the pre-release reviews on WordPress and Goodreads. It sounds interesting but for me the real selling point is the way the story is told through both Lyra’s and Gemma’s perspectives; you can read Lyra’s story first, or Gemma’s, or even alternate between the two.

Gemma has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. ‘A sickly child’, her lonely life to date has revolved around her home, school and one best friend, Alice. But when she discovers her father’s connection to the top secret Haven research facility, currently hitting the headlines and under siege by religious fanatics, Gemma decides to leave the sanctuary she’s always known to find the institute and determine what is going on there and why her father’s name seems inextricably linked to it.

Amidst the frenzy outside the institute’s walls, Lyra – or number 24 as she is known as at Haven – and a fellow experimental subject known only as 72, manage to escape. Encountering a world they never knew existed outside the walls of their secluded upbringing , they meet Gemma and, as they try to understand Haven’s purpose together, they uncover some earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls forever…

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Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

When I was at Waterstones today picking up my copy of Crooked Kingdom what else did I see on the shelves but a copy of Blood for Blood. I immediately picked it up and brought it, even though I had it pre-ordered on Amazon as well. I can’t wait to get started because, like with Crooked Kingdom, I can’t wait to see how Yael’s story ends.

The action-packed, thrilling sequel to Ryan Graudin’s Wolf by Wolf.

There would be blood.
Blood for blood.
Blood to pay.
An entire world of it.

For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.

Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.

But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?

This gripping, thought-provoking sequel to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.

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The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

This series has been on my to-read list for a while now. I have read all of Patrick Ness’s other books and loved every single one of them so I have high expectations for the Chaos Walking trilogy. Also if what everyone’s been saying to me about this book is anything to go by it’s going to be amazing.

A new edition of the award-winning first novel in the Chaos Walking trilogy, with a bonus short story, The New World.

Imagine you’re the only boy in a town of men. And you can hear everything they think. And they can hear everything you think. Imagine you don’t fit in with their plans…Todd Hewitt is just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man. But his town has been keeping secrets from him. Secrets that are going to force him to run…

The new edition of this unflinching novel about fear, flight and the terrifying path of self-discovery features the short story, The New World. Set before the events of The Knife of Never Letting Go, it is the story of Viola’s dramatic journey to the New World.

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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

I saw an amazing, glowing, five-star review for this book and ever since it’s been sitting on my to-read list. I’m hoping to get around to it before the second book is released, and I’m also hoping that I enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to. There are a few sci-fi books on my to-read list that I want to get around to before the end of the year and this is at the top of the list.

Somewhere within our crowded sky, a crew of wormhole builders hops from planet to planet, on their way to the job of a lifetime. To the galaxy at large, humanity is a minor species, and one patched-up construction vessel is a mere speck on the starchart. This is an everyday sort of ship, just trying to get from here to there. 

But all voyages leave their mark, and even the most ordinary of people have stories worth telling. A young Martian woman, hoping the vastness of space will put some distance between herself and the life she‘s left behind. An alien pilot, navigating life without her own kind. A pacifist captain, awaiting the return of a loved one at war. 

Set against a backdrop of curious cultures and distant worlds, this episodic tale weaves together the adventures of nine eclectic characters, each on a journey of their own.

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Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

This was one of my Waiting on Wednesday picks a few months back. As a fairytale retelling it went to the top of my to-read list, even though I had no knowledge of the original folktale it’s based off; Vassilissa the Beautiful. I was thrilled when I received this book as part of September’s Fairy Loot box and now I have no excuse not to get started on it as soon as possible.

In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now—but not Vassa’s working-class neighbourhood.

In Vassa’s neighbourhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission.

But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighbourhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair…

Inspired by the Russian folktale Vassilissa the Beautiful and Sarah Porter’s years of experience teaching creative writing to New York City students.

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Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Like with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet this book has been on my to-read list since my friend read and loved it a good few years ago now. I have a copy sitting on my bookshelf waiting for me to get around to it, hopefully that will happen before the end of this year.

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows – everyone knows – that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

Uprooted is a hugely imaginative, engrossing and vivid fantasy novel, inspired by folk and fairy tales by Naomi Novik, the author of the Temeraire series. It is perfect reading for fans of Robin Hobb and Trudi Canavan.

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Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

There have been some mixed reviews since this book was released. However it is still one I want to get around to soon-ish. My expectations have been lowered somewhat, and I know what to expect from the story so hopefully that will improve my reading experience. Plus I have really enjoyed what Kendare Blake books I’ve read so far so hopefully this will be no expectation.

Three sisters. One crown. A fight to the death.

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

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So what do you think? Did you take part in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, if so let me know what books are on your Fall TBR list.