Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2018

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 I’m Looking Forward to in 2018.

When it comes down to it there are so many books I can’t wait for, and plenty of them I couldn’t feature because they don’t have titles or covers or blurbs yet; The Muse of Nightmares, the second Warcross book, the third Nevernight book. It’s looking like 2018 is going to be a great year for book releases, the only issue I’ll have is finding the time to read them all.

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Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Release Date: January 9th 2018

The Starbound trilogy that Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner wrote together is an incredible series that introduced me to the sci-fi genre, so I’m looking forwards to seeing what they’ve come up with working together again on Unearthed. It certainly sounds brilliant.

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying’s advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study…as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don’t loot everything first. Mia and Jules’ different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race’s secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race…

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Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
Release Date: January 16th 2018

I feel like I’ve been talking about Iron Gold a lot in the run up to its release, but that’s just how excited I am about this book. Even before finishing the Red Rising trilogy Iron Gold was at the top of my both to-read and most-anticipated-releases lists.

They call him father, liberator, warlord, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the pale blue planet, his armour red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-second of his life.

A decade ago, Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk everything he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?

And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever: 

A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.

An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life.

And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.

Red Rising was the story of the end of one universe, and Iron Gold is the story of the creation of a new one. Witness the beginning of a stunning new saga of tragedy and triumph from masterly New York Times bestselling author Pierce Brown.

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Wires and Nerve, Volume 2: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer
Release Date: January 30th 2018

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my all-time favourite series, and Iko has always been one of my favourite characters. Granted I don’t normally pick up graphic novels but for Marissa Meyer and The Lunar Chronicles I couldn’t resist, and I really can’t wait for the second half of Iko’s story.

Iko – an audacious android and best friend to the Lunar Queen Cinder – has been tasked with hunting down Alpha Lysander Steele, the leader of a rogue band of bioengineered wolf-soldiers who threaten to undo the tenuous peace agreement between Earth and Luna. Unless Cinder can reverse the mutations that were forced on them years before, Steele and his soldiers plan to satisfy their monstrous appetites with a massacre of the innocent people of Earth.

And to show he’s serious, Steele is taking hostages.

Cinder and Kai, Scarlet and Wolf, Cress and Thorne, and Winter and Jacin all feature in this epic new battle. But it is Iko who must face her deepest fears when she uncovers the truth about her own unusual programming.

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Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton
Release Date: February 1st 2018

The Rebel of the Sands trilogy has been incredible so far; I loved the first book, and while the second was a little slower it was still a great story. I saw the unveiling of the Hero at the Fall cover at YALC and it was gorgeous, so here’s hoping the story inside is just as great.

Once, in the desert country of Miraji, there was a Sultan without an heir.

The heir had been killed by his own brother, the treacherous Rebel Prince, who was consumed by jealousy and sought the throne for himself.

Or so it was said by some. There were others who said that the Rebel Prince was not a traitor but a hero…

In the final battle for the throne, Amani must fight for everything she believes in, but with the rebellion in pieces, and the Sultan’s armies advancing across the desert plains, who will lead, who will triumph, who will live and who will die?

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Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: March 6th 2018

I was thrilled to hear Tahereh Mafi was writing more of her Shatter Me series, mainly because I loved the first three books but also because I was never satisfied with how Ignite Me ended. It stopped in the middle of Juliette’s story, but now we’re finally getting the next instalment.

Juliette Ferrars thought she’d won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she’s still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she’s got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?

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Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Release Date: March 8th 2018

The blurb describes this book as “the most anticipated fantasy of the year “, and I can see why because there is so much hype surrounding it. Children of Blood and Bone does sound beyond incredible, and I’m sure this will be a release that lives up to, or even exceeds, its hype.

The most anticipated fantasy of the year, soon to be a major motion picture

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for an enemy.

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Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Release Date: March 14th 2018

I don’t think there are words to properly explain how badly I need this book to be released so I can start reading it. I loved Illuminae, I loved Gemina, and I am sure I will love Obsidio more than both of them. It’s been a long wait for this last book, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it in the end.

From bestselling author duo Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff comes the exciting finale in the trilogy that broke the mould and has been called “stylistically mesmerizing” and “out-of-this-world-awesome.”

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, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.

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Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray
Release Date: April 3rd 2018

Before picking up Defy the Stars I didn’t have any expectations, and that’s probably why it ended up blowing me away. Now, for Defy the Worlds, I do have high expectations but I’m sure the second book in the series will be just as incredible as the first was.

Noemi Vidal has returned to her planet, Genesis, as an outsider. Ostracized for refusing to sacrifice Abel, the galaxy’s most advanced mechanical man, she dreams of travelling through the stars one more time. And when a deadly plague arrives on Genesis, Noemi gets her chance. As the only soldier to have ever left the planet, it will be up to her to save its people…if only she wasn’t flying right into a trap.

Abel, now fully aware of his soul and captaining his own ship, never thought he’d get to see Noemi again, not when the entire universe stands between them. But when his creator, Burton Mansfield, delivers news of Noemi’s capture, Abel must go to her, no matter the cost.

In a race against time, Abel and Noemi band together to stop Mansfield once and for all. The depraved scientist has engineered a way to achieve immortality, but that technology comes with perils of its own. Abel and Noemi are about to discover a secret that could save Genesis and Earth…or destroy them all.

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Legendary by Stephanie Garber
Release Date: May 29th 2018

Last year Caraval was my most anticipated release of the following year, so it seems fitting that now Legendary is one of my most anticipated releases for the following year. What little information we have sounds promising, I just hope Legendary has the same magic to it that Caraval did.

Stephanie Garber’s limitless imagination takes flight once more in the colourful, mesmerizing, and immersive sequel to the bestselling and breakout debut Caraval, following Scarlett’s younger sister, Tella, on a journey to the empire’s capital to fulfil a mysterious bargain.

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My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows and Brodi Ashton
Release Date: June 26th 2018

I didn’t even know that My Lady Jane was part of a series, or that Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows and Brodi Ashton were teaming up to write another book. My Plain Jane has very very quickly shot to the top of my to-read list, and I’m counting down the days until its release.

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Bronte, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

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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 2018 release you can’t wait to read.