Can’t Wait Wednesdays

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales

And the Can’t-Wait Wednesday streak continues! There are so many new books coming out lately that I’m interested in!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett!! 📔🌳

Now this – this is definitely one of my most anticipated books of 2025! I love the Emily Wilde series, and I’m really excited for this coming release!

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

SERIES: Emily Wilde #3

LENGTH: 352 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Del Rey

RELEASE DATE: 11 February 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves.

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world: How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

Are you looking forward to the release of Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: All Better Now

There’s been a lot of these in a row from me lately. But there’s just so many books coming out soon that I’m interested in!

(Edit: Dammit, I keep forgetting to add the second half of the title to Can’t-Wait Wednesdays! Even though I always know which books I’m going to talk about each time! Ugh! Fixed it.)

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman! 😃😁

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Shusterman novel. I read the Unwind Dystology forever ago, and before that Bruiser, but I haven’t been drawn to any of his books in some time.

But maybe I’ll pick up this book! It appears to be a standalone, so no need to commit to a series (which is my main problem with wanting to try to read his Arc of a Scythe series, honestly). It looks like another intriguing and weird idea, of which Shusterman does sometimes.

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

LENGTH: 528 pages

GENRES: Dystopian, Thriller, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

RELEASE DATE: 4 February 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes a young adult thriller about a world where happiness is contagious but the risks of catching it may be just as dangerous as the cure.

A deadly and unprecedented virus is spreading. But those who survive it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen before: utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone.

More and more people begin to revel in the mass unburdening. But not everyone. People in power—who depend on malcontents and prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince others they need more, new, faster, better everything—know this new state of being is bad for business. Surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos. Campaigns start up to convince people that being eternally happy is dangerous. The race to find a vaccine begins. Meanwhile, a growing movement of Recoverees plan ways to spread the virus as fast as they can, in the name of saving the world.

It’s nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their agenda. Three teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in very different ways find themselves at the center of a power play that could change humanity forever.

Are you looking forward to the release of All Better Now? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Outcast Mage

Happy Wednesday everybody!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell!! 🪄🏫

The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell

The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell

SERIES: The Shattered Lands #1

LENGTH: 512 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Orbit

RELEASE DATE: 28 January 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A mage bereft of her powers must find out if she is destined to save the world or destroy it in this glittering debut fantasy perfect for fans of Andrea Stewart, James Islington, and Samantha Shannon.

In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.

When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.

For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.

Are you looking forward to the release of The Outcast Mage? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Liar’s Kingdom

Hey everyone and happy Wednesday! It’s been a couple weeks since I last did a Can’t-Wait Wednesday.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

Liar’s Kingdom by Christine Calella!! 👠🏰

It seems to be a take on Cinderella, and we know that I’m always here for retellings! And this one looks interesting.

Liar's Kingdom by Christine Calella

Liar’s Kingdom by Christine Calella

LENGTH: 320 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Page Street YA

RELEASE DATE: 14 January 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Ell has spent years slaving away for her cruel stepfamily. So when Prince Bayard—who seems to have difficulty recognizing faces—shows up at her door with a glass slipper, Ell allows him to believe she danced with him at the ball. There’s just one problem: Ell didn’t attend the ball and she’s never met the prince before in her life. But if it’s a choice between moving to the royal palace or staying home, Ell is willing to say anything to escape. 

However, Ell finds that being royalty comes with its own problems. Bayard’s sister, the princess, has gone missing. The king is preparing for war against the fae. And Maxim, Bayard’s treacherous (and handsome) best friend, appears to know Ell is lying. 

If Ell wants to keep this life she’s stolen, she’s going to have to roll up her sleeves and rescue herself.

Are you looking forward to the release of Liar’s Kingdom? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Losting Fountain

Happy Wednesday everybody!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

The Losting Fountain by Lora Senf! ⛲🌐

The Losting Fountain by Lora Senf

The Losting Fountain by Lora Senf

LENGTH: 352 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Union Square & Co.

RELEASE DATE: 31 December 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Ember, Miles, and Sam have been called home–only home is a place none of them have ever been before. The choices they make will not only determine their own futures but will also have vast and permanent consequences–they will either restore a cosmic balance or destroy the dams that separate two worlds, ending them both. Ember was called because she belonged, Miles because his mother belonged, and Sam… well, Sam arranged his own invitation.

The Fountain itself is beautiful and alluring–yet so is the light of an anglerfish. Hidden below the surface, the world of the Fountain is vast: unexplored and unmapped and full of wild things–leviathan and tiny, scuttling things and all manner of creature in between. There are other entities as well, entities that haunt and hunt in the Fountain, because it rewards nearly as often as it punishes, and it has been punishing the greedy and merciless and cruel for a very long time. For those, the Fountain becomes a prison.

The borders between our world and the world of the Fountain are already porous. If the balance between them is upset and control of the Fountain is lost, the consequences will be rapid, merciless, and world-ending. In every timeline that has been or will be, everywhere that water stands in our world will become a passageway for the violent damned to enter ours from the Fountain. For Ember, Miles, and Sam, all from different times, what starts as a journey to take control of their lives quickly becomes a quest to save–or destroy–both worlds, depending on whom you ask.

Rising star and author of multiple-award-nominee The Clackity, Lora Senf has created a gorgeously written, pitch-black fantasy that will transport readers to a world that is as beautiful as it is horrifying and will keep readers on their toes as they devour it page by page.

Are you looking forward to the release of The Losting Fountain? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt

It’s been a bit since I’ve participated in a Can’t-Wait Wednesday, but there honestly aren’t a ton of books coming out these last few weeks that I’m interested in. Part of it’s ’cause December is kinda weird about book release schedules because of the holidays, but also… There’s just not a lot I’m interested in. Anyway, back on topic…

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iverson!! 💐🪴

(So, like, this actually came out yesterday, but I was busy this week and most of the new book releases of December are coming out sometime this week, so please let me have this.)

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iverson

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iverson

LENGTH: 320 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Historical, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks

RELEASE DATE: 3 December 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

True magic is found among the bluebells and brambles.

Harriet Hunt is completely alone. Her father disappeared months ago, leaving her to wander the halls of Sunnyside house, dwelling on a past she’d rather keep buried. She doesn’t often venture beyond her front gate, instead relishing the feel of dirt under her fingernails and of soft moss beneath her feet. Consequently, she’s been deemed a little too peculiar for popular Victorian society. This solitary life suits her fine, though – because, outside, magic awaits.

Harriet’s garden is special. It’s a wild place full of twisting ivy, vibrant plums, and a quiet power that buzzes like bees. Caring for this place, and keeping it from running rampant through the streets of her London suburb, is Harriet’s purpose.  

But a woman alone in the world is vulnerable. Soon, a sinister plot involving her father’s disappearance begins to take shape, with Harriet herself at its center. Everything she holds dear – from the thorny roses she tends to her very freedom itself – is at stake. To save herself, Harriet will have to unearth her past, discover the secrets of her garden, and finally embrace the wild magic inside of her. 

Are you looking forward to the release of The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Skyshade

I’m back for a second week in a row with another book I’m looking forward to. Well, sort of. Not really. It’s complicated.

Anyway.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

Skyshade by Alex Aster! ☁️🐍

So yeah. I’m not exactly looking forward to this one, but I am anticipating the mess that this book is absolutely going to be. I want to hate read this, essentially. Just like I did with Lightlark and Nightbane, the first two books in this disaster of a fantasy series.

Now let me be very clear: hate reading is not something I typically do – I normally try to read books that I like and/or want to read. But the Lightlark Saga is special – I can’t help myself, I definitely mostly want to read this series for the trainwreck.

Skyshade by Alex Aster

SERIES: The Lightlark Saga #3

LENGTH: 384 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Amulet Books

RELEASE DATE: 12 November 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The pulse-pounding third novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Lightlark Saga, by acclaimed author and #BookTok sensation Alex Aster

Love kills kingdoms…

Back in Grim’s castle on Nightshade, Isla is reeling in the wake of a brutal battle and the devastating truths it exposed. Her future—and the fate of the world—now hinge on a heart split in two.

Past Isla, who fell in love with the ruler of Nightshade, fights to resist feelings she considers treasonous. The Isla of the present, who has seen the ruin her powers can cause, will do anything to save Lightlark and its king.

As the line between enemy and friend is tested, Isla is more desperate than ever to understand the oracle’s final prophecy and change her heartrending fate. But a storm is coming. And with it, a long-buried evil greater than anything the realms have faced before.

With the clock ticking on her destiny and the survival of two warring kingdoms hinging on her own shattered heart, Isla Crown will either save the world—or destroy it.

Are you looking forward to the release of Skyshade? Like, legitimately looking forward to reading it, unlike me? Or are you interested in it for the same reasons I am, lol? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Snow Drowned

It’s been a couple of weeks, but books I’m still interested in are still releasing!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle! 🌨️🏚️

Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle

Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle

LENGTH: 304 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Horror, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire

RELEASE DATE: 5 November 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

There’s a saying on Fall Island: the snow will get you.

Gracie Hutchinson has lived here her whole life and knows there’s some truth to those words. Every few years someone dies in a snowstorm, or loses their mind, or disappears without a trace. Sometimes it seems like more than just New England weather. Now, a hundred-year-storm is approaching, and while most of the locals have taken the ferry to the mainland, Gracie must stay behind.

But she’s intrigued to find someone else her age has stayed too—Joseph Wescott, whose mysterious family lives in Wescott Manor, descendants of the legendary first settlers of Fall Island. Together, they stumble across something even more unsettling than the coming storm: the body of a stranger, murdered in a grim ritual. Someone on the island believes the old Fall superstitions have a dark power—and now, they have Gracie in their sights.

As the hours count down to the blizzard’s landfall, it seems the only safe place to go is Westcott Manor. But Gracie wonders if there’s another reason why she’s been brought there, one that has to do with Joseph. She’ll discover secrets that have been kept for generations, a hidden history, and the terrifying truth about Fall Island. Because even when the storm ends, there’s no escape from the horror beneath the snow.

Are you looking forward to the release of Snow Drowned? (Have you heard of it? – cuz StoryGraph sure hasn’t, lol.) What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Bloodguard

Hey everybody! Happy Wednesday! Two weeks in a row with this one!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

Bloodguard by Cecy Robson! ⚔️🌹

This has been on my radar for awhile, but the release date kept changing, so I kept it off of all my Anticipated SFF lists. After all this time, I’m not sure how I feel about reading it – though I’m still interested – but I’ll probably read it sometime soon.

Bloodguard by Cecy Robson

Bloodguard by Cecy Robson

SERIES: Old Erth #1

LENGTH: 512 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Entangled: Red Tower Books

RELEASE DATE: 21 October 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

One hundred years. Tens of thousands of gladiators. And today, only one will rise…

Everything in the Kingdom of Arrow is a lie.

Leith of Grey thought coming to this new land and volunteering to fight in the gladiator arena―vicious, bloodthirsty tournaments where only the strongest survive―would earn him enough gold to save his dying sister. He thought there was nothing left to lose.

He was wrong―and they took everything. His hope. His freedom. His very humanity.

All Leith has left is his battle-scarred body, fueled by rage and hardened from years of fighting for the right to live another day.

Then Leith meets Maeve, an elven royal who is everything he despises. Everything he should hate. Until the alluring princess offers him the one thing he needs most: a chance to win the coveted title of Bloodguard―and his freedom.

But in a kingdom built on secrets and lies, hope doesn’t come cheap.

Nor will his ultimate revenge…

Are you looking forward to the next volume of Bloodguard? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Prince of Fortune

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno! 🔮🌱

Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno

Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno

LENGTH: 319 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT+, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Atheneum

RELEASE DATE: 15 October 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Red, White & Royal Blue meets A Darker Shade of Magic in this swoony debut young adult romantic fantasy following a magical young prince and a noble seer who fall in love in the midst of war and intrigue.

Shy Prince Edmund will be a great king one day: it has been Seen again and again. With rare magic giving him dominion over the nation’s plants and weather, Edmund feels a great deal of pressure to live up to his nation’s many expectations, including making a perfect diplomatic alliance through marriage. That is, until he meets Lord Aubrey Ainsley.

Charming, romantic, and politically insignificant, Aubrey is a Seer, but not even he could have predicted catching the eye of Edmund, the Prince of Fortune—nor that the anxious prince who talks to plants more than people could feel so right for him. Aubrey’s dream-visions have been full of battle, not love, but to say that Prince Edmund has captured his fancy would be a grand understatement. 

As the two become more and more intertwined, the nation of Saben falls under attack. War and dark sorcery loom on the horizon. To save their homeland, Edmund and Aubrey must resist the outside forces seeking to drive them apart and find the power within themselves to create a future for Saben—and each other—they never could have imagined. 

Are you looking forward to the next volume of Prince of Fortune? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar