Top Ten Tuesdays – 2014 Releases that I’m Dying To Read

This week’s list is brief because it’s end of the semester time at grad school, and I have to be all responsible and such for a while (hence why it might be quiet on my blog for a bit). This week I am featuring books being released in 2014 that I really want to read. Rather than repeat novels that I’ve talked about before, this list is going to highlight some of the books that I haven’t had a chance post about. That being said, I need a copy of Cress and Independent Study as soon as humanly possible! (Thanks to the Broke and the Bookish!)

1.      The Infinite Sea – Rick Yancey

The 5^th Wave wasn’t my favourite book of 2013, but it certainly was exciting! The story is about an alien invasion that has almost wiped out humanity. The first book centered on the perspectives of two different teens, and at the end of the novel, they finally met, though through disastrous circumstances. I’m super curious as to whether there is anything they can do to fight back, or is humanity about to become extinct?

2.      In the End – Demitria Lunetta

In the After was the other major YA alien novel released in 2013, and I actually liked it a bit better than The 5^th Wave. In this series, humanity has been devastated by alien creatures that look a bit like jungle cats, if jungle cats were more like plants. In the first novel, Amy, a young teenage girl, has managed to keep herself and a small child named Baby safe for several years. However, everything changes when Amy discovers that some of the remaining humans have gathered together in a newly formed city with restrictive rules to protect themselves. In the End takes place after Amy has left this city, unfortunately leaving Baby behind. Can she rescue the child, and take on the scientists at New Hope who know far more about the aliens than they are letting on? I am definitely looking forward to what is sure to be an action-filled climax to this duology, and would recommend it for those who enjoy fun, sci-fi mysteries.

3.      The Unwritten: Orpheus in the Underworlds (Volume 8) – Mike Carey

If you are a fan of graphic novels and you haven’t read The Unwritten, get yourself to the nearest bookstore or library and start reading! This is a wonderfully complex and fascinating series that touches on the meaning and power of stories. Tom, the protagonist, has been learning more and more about his powers, and the strange groups that want to either use or destroy him. In volume 7, one of his closest friends was lost, so Tom must journey to the underworld to find her. As it turns out, having the power to travel through literary worlds can be quite the boon when someone you care for is in danger, but what exactly will Tom discover while he’s down there?

 4.      Fables 19: Snow White – Bill Willingham

 

Fables is another fantastic graphic novel series that everyone should read. The past several volumes have meandered a bit as one of the big bads was recently taken care of, but this volume introduces a new plot involving my favourite set of characters from this series: Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf, and their kids. I’m super excited to see the story pick up in intensity again, and it will be interesting to see the fallout of what happened with the cubs during volume 18.

5.      Peter Pan the Graphic Novel – Renae de Liz

This Peter Pan graphic novel is a Kickstarter funded project by one of my favourite artists who also did the adaptation for The Last Unicorn. The story is meant to be faithful to the original novel, and the preview artwork that I have seen is absolutely gorgeous. For those interested in getting on a list for the extra copies, please see: http://www.peterpancomic.com/.

6.      Kathy Reichs 17

Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan books are some of my guilty pleasures. I’ve been reading the series since I found out that half of it was set in Montreal, a Canadian city that I’ve called home, and I look forward to another suspenseful (though admittedly formulaic) adventure at the end of every summer.

7.      The Kill Switch (Tucker Wayne#1) – James Rollins/Grant Blackwood

 

On the topic of guilty pleasures, James Rollins writes some fabulous science thrillers, and I am excited to see a character from his Sigma Force series get his own novel. Wayne is an ex-military dog trainer who quite the service, but couldn’t leave his dog, Kane, behind. Unfortunately for them, it’s not easy to completely divorce oneself from the military, and this book is all about how a simple mission to save  one man turns into an attempt to save the entire world from ecological disaster! If you like big, explosive movies, give this book by Rollins and Blackwood a shot!

8.      Burn Out – Kristi Helvig

 

I have a great love for YA dystopias as is very obvious by the content of this blog, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Helvig is going to do with a world where the sun can kill you.  The comparisons to Beth Revis’ Across the Universe series are also intriguing!

 9.      Killer Instinct – Shannon Greenland

 

Killer Instinct looks like it is going to be just like Dan Well’s John Cleaver series with a female protagonist. I really enjoyed those novels and am excited to see something similar, but I am hoping that Greenland does something different with her new release.

10.  Dorothy Must Die – Danielle Paige

I’m a sucker for dark fairy tale retellings, and this one looks at what could happen if Dorothy took power in Oz instead of just heading home. Plus the cover looks great!