My Most Anticipated 2017 Reads

As we close out 2016 I wanted to talk about some of the fabulous books that I'm looking forward to reading next year. I'm going to focus on releases from the first half of 2017 and I'll try to make a similar list in the summer to cover the rest of the year.

Young Adult:

1. Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder - I'm a huge fan of the Chronicles of Ixia series, Yelena and Valek are two of my favourite YA characters of all time so I can't wait to read the latest book even though I'm incredibly sad it's the last one.
2. Traitor to the throne by Alwyn Hamilton - Rebel of the Sands was one of my favourite books of 2016 so of course I have very high hopes for the sequel.
3. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor - If you've read The Daughter of Smoke and Bone you'll already know why I'm looking forward to this one, I just adore Laini's writing.
4. Caraval by Stephanie Garber - There is so much hype surrounding Caraval which makes me a little nervous but Hodder publish some of my favourite books so I think this will be awesome, especially since it's described as perfect for fans of The Night Circus.
5. Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima - I first discovered Cinda Williams Chima's Seven Realms series this year and I was hooked from the very beginning, I devoured all four books as well as the first book in the Shattered Realms spin off and I can't wait to see what happens next.
6. Heartstone by Elle Katharine White - This is a debut novel that turns Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice into a high fantasy story with dragons. With dragons people, Pride and Prejudice with DRAGONS! Do I need to say any more than that?
7. Roseblood by A.G. Howard - I love it when authors take a well known story and put their own spin on it so I'm very excited to see what twists A.G. Howard is going to add to the Phantom of the Opera.
8. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth - I absolutely loved the Divergent series (even though I've refused to read the last book since someone spoilered me!) so I've been waiting a long time to see what Veronica Roth would come up with next.
9. The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine - I really love fairytales and retellings and this series combines the two so I'm looking forward to reading this one.
10. Silver Stars by Michael Grant - This is a little different to the other books on my list since it's not high fantasy but Michael Grant has imagined WWII as if women had been allowed to fight on the front lines. I enjoyed every minute of the first book so I'm looking forward to continuing the journey these women are taking.

Adult:

1. White Hot by Ilona Andrews - This is a bit of a cheat since I've already read White Hot (twice!) but it's so absolutely awesome that I can't wait to read it again and we also have the third book in the series, Wildfire, to look forward to later on in the year so I'm all about this series next year.
2. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - This debut fantasy is being sold as perfect for fans of The Night Circus and Uprooted which happen to be two of my favourite books so I'm expecting great things from this one.
3. Silver Silence by Nalini Singh - I love everything Nalini Singh writes and her Psy-Changeling series is absolutely fantastic so of course I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
4. Scorpion Trap by Pippa DaCosta - I discovered Pippa DaCosta in 2015 and completely fell in love with her writing. Since then I've devoured her entire backlist but luckily for me she's quite a prolific writer and I can't wait for the next book in her Ace Dante series. 
5. Blade bound by Chloe Neill - Well the end is here, the last book in the Chicagoland Vampires series. This is going to be a bittersweet read because I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters but at the same time I can't wait to see how things turn out for Merit and Ethan.
6. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs - Mercy Thompson is one of my favourite urban fantasy heroines, I reread this series regularly but it's been a couple of years now so I'm hoping to find time to read them all before Silence Fallen releases.
7. Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet - A Promise of Fire was another of my favourite 2016 debuts so I'm sure this will be just as awesome.
8. The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz - I'm a huge fan of Tiffany Reisz's writing so of course this is at the top of my wish list.
9. Ride Rough by Laura Kaye - I may not read much contemporary romance these days but there are a couple of authors who I automatically preorder and Laura Kaye is one of them.
10. Too Wilde To Tame by Tonya Burrows - This is another series that I love and have been waiting almost a year for the next instalment of.

Are any of these books at the top of your list? What other books are you excited about reading in 2017?

Review: The Shadow Queen - C.J. Redwine

Mirror, mirror . . .

Lorelai: Powerful enchantress, vengeful fugitive, crown princess.
She must kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father.

Irina: Dangerous sorceress, ruthless manipulator, poisonous ruler.
She must hold the throne - dispatching a dragon-shifting huntsman to cut out Lorelai's heart.

But Ravenspire is rotting beneath Irina's dark magic, and the huntsman is at risk of losing his own heart to Lorelai . . . In this dance of death, there can only be one victor, one queen to rule them all.

Ravenspire Series:
(This is a series of stand alone fairytale retellings set in adjoining kingdoms)
The Shadow Queen
Future titles to be confirmed

Visit C.J. Redwine's website for more information

Review:
Lorelai is thrilled when her father remarries hoping that her stepmother Irina, the new queen of Ravenspire, will bring back the happy family that has been lost since her mother died. Unfortunately Irina has other ideas, she has a grudge against Lorelia's father for choosing her sister over her and she is out for revenge. Irina gradually uses magic to turn the king and courtiers alike into puppets and Lorelai is the only one who can see what is going on around her. Finally when Irina kills the king Lorelai manages to escape from the castle with her younger brother Leo and Gabril, a palace guard.

Now it's nine years later and Lorelai, Leo and Gabril may have spent their time in hiding but they've also been training hard and preparing to fight to take back the kingdom that is rightfully theirs. Lorelai and Leo are both skilled fighters and Lorelai has also worked hard at learning to use her magic. While they've been planning their attack Irina's black magic has been slowly destroying Ravenspire from the inside and now the time has come when they're going to have to make a stand before it's too late.

I'm a sucker for fairytales so I wanted to read The Shadow Queen, a Snow White retelling, from the minute I first heard about it. I was a little nervous after seeing a few negative reviews but don't let that put you off because I ended up loving every minute of this book. I was completely sucked into Lorelai's story from the very first page and I just devoured the story. This is a wonderful retelling, it takes all of the elements you'd expect to find in Snow White and transforms them into something fresh and original. Add in the dragon shifters and I'm completely in heaven!

The characters are brilliant, Lorelai has been through so much but her determination to take back what is rightfully hers never wanes. She can see how much Ravenspire is suffering under Irina's rule and wants to bring things back to how they used to be, the magic Irina uses takes too much from the land and it's causing food shortages that leave people starving in the villages. Lorelai, Leo and Gabril have done what they can to try and help people but now their only hope is to stop Irina once and for all. Irina is power hungry and obsessed with destroying Lorelai and everyone close to her. Dragon shifter Kol gets caught in the crossfire when he comes to Irina for help. He is from a neighbouring kingdom and he needs Irina's magic to help him fight against his own enemies. Kol's people are being slaughtered and Irina is his only chance but she tricks him into making a promise that could end up costing him everything.

I don't want to say too much more but if you love fairytales, fantasy or dragons then you really need to buy this book. I'm so excited that there are going to be more books set in this world and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

Oh and if you like maps then just check out this beauty from the front of the book:

Source: Received from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review.

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle: