Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Tailored Realities

Hey everyone and Happy Wednesday! It’s been a bit since I participated in a Wednesday (the day if the week) themed post.

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:

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson! ✨🌀

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson

LENGTH: 464 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Publishing

RELEASE DATE: 9 December 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson―creator of The Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy―comes Tailored Realities, a new short fiction collection including the never-before-published novella Moment Zero.

Spanning the genres of fantasy and science fiction, this collection features stories from beyond the bounds of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe.

Along with the never-before-seen novella “Moment Zero,” Tailored Realities will include “Snapshot,” “Perfect State,” “Defending Elysium” (a novella set within the world of Skyward), and five other stories that were originally published individually elsewhere—never before collected into one volume, and many never before available in print.

Are you looking forward to Tailored Realities? 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

The Most Interesting Looking New Books of December 2025

Hey there everybody! Another month, another bunch of new books that are coming out! Yep, it’s The Most Intriguing New Books of December 2025. I know pretty late in the month this time – I generally like to get it out by the first Tuesday of the month – but there’s been a lot going on in the recent weeks, and I’m just now trying to get back into things.

This used to be a quarterly post, but I’ve recently decided to do it monthly instead. Also, even though this post is about new releases, it’s primarily focused on fantasy and science fiction, as those are the genres I tend to prefer to read. (Not to say other genres won’t ever appear on these lists – it just isn’t super likely; it’s likely to be a very rare occurrence if it happens at all.)

If you’ve seen this post by me before, you know the drill; I’m only interested in these books – there’s no guarantee that I’m gonna read all of them. There’s not even a guarantee that I’m gonna read even half of them. We shall see. Anyway, let’s get going! This month, four books have caught my eye! Yay! A decent number, this time around! No more threes!

RELEASING: December 2nd

When a boarding school opens in a once-condemned Victorian manor buried in the woods of New Hampshire, Austen-loving Lorena Navarro enrolls in hopes of finding her own Mr. Darcy. Instead, she stumbles across a coffin and accidentally awakens the world’s last vampire.

After hibernating for nearly three centuries, William Pride is desperate to find his family—and clueless about the modern world. Relying on Lorena for more than just blood, he enrolls at the school to catch up on all he’s missed.

Soon, William uncovers the chilling He is the last hope for his kind’s return to power. Torn between protecting the humans around him and joining a band of surviving vampires who have been waiting centuries for his leadership, William must make a choice. Will he sacrifice his species for love . . . or will he embrace his dark destiny at last?

RELEASING: December 2nd

Witness the epic conclusion to the webcomic phenomenon about star-crossed lovers and misunderstood monsters in this third and final graphic novel!

Last we saw Dr. Jekyll he was on stage about to welcome everyone to his grand exhibition—the event meant to save his Society for Arcane Sciences and his way of life—when he collapsed, pulled under by his devilish alter ego Mr. Hyde. When he wakes, Jekyll assumes everything is doomed, but in a surprise to just about everyone, he couldn’t be more wrong. The event was a success, his band of rogue scientists now all have patrons, and business is booming. What’s more, he even plucks up the courage to do the scariest, craziest thing of all: confess his feelings for Lanyon. Everything is finally coming up Jekyll!

Oh, if only the good scientist remembered his physics, because what goes up must inevitably come crashing down. Just when everything Jekyll has worked and hoped for is finally within his grasp, the barrier between his dueling personalities is shattered. Both Jekyll and Hyde are thrown into a constant wrestling for control of both their minds and bodies, which seem to switch without rhyme or reason. In the chaos, Jekyll’s secret has never been more at risk of being exposed, and he won’t get any help concealing it from his other half. Hyde has finally gotten a taste of life as a free man, and if Jekyll (or anyone else) dares to take it away, well, we should all brace for impact.

RELEASING: December 9th

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson―creator of The Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy―comes Tailored Realities, a new short fiction collection including the never-before-published novella Moment Zero.

Spanning the genres of fantasy and science fiction, this collection features stories from beyond the bounds of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe.

Along with the never-before-seen novella “Moment Zero,” Tailored Realities will include “Snapshot,” “Perfect State,” “Defending Elysium” (a novella set within the world of Skyward), and five other stories that were originally published individually elsewhere—never before collected into one volume, and many never before available in print. 

RELEASING: December 30th

A modern-day dark academia fantasy with a twist, perfect for fans of Babel and A Deadly Education.

Warren University has stood amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones―and forbidden magic―of its most prized BIPOC students…hiding the rot of a secret society that will do anything to keep their own powers burning bright. No matter who they must sacrifice along the way.

Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely…familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister.

Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can’t convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through her fingers as if by some insidious magic…this time, she may lose herself for good.

So yeah, these are all of the books releasing in December 2025 that I’m at least a little interested in. What books are coming out soon that you’re looking forward to? Do we share some of the same ones?

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

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Works of Vermin

Hey, it’s been a while. But Happy 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:

The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes! 🪱🏹

The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes

The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes

LENGTH: 430 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 14 October 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

He was sent to kill a pest. Instead, he found a monster.

Enter the decadent, deadly city of Tiliard, a metropolis carved into the stump of an ancient tree. In its canopy, the pampered elite warp minds with toxic perfume; in its roots, gangs of exterminators hunt a colossal worm with an appetite for beauty.

In this complex, chaotic city, Guy Moulène has a simple goal: keep his sister out of debt. For her sake, he’ll take on any job, no matter how vile.

As an exterminator, Guy hunts the uncanny pests that crawl up from the river. These vermin are all strange, and often dangerous. His latest quarry is different: a worm the size of a dragon with a deadly venom and a ravenous taste for artwork. As it digests Tiliard from the sewers to the opera houses, its toxin reshapes the future of the city. No sane person would hunt it, if they had the choice.

Guy doesn’t have a choice.

Are you looking forward to The Works of Vermin? 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

Bewitching Book Covers: Hemlock & Silver

I can’t believe it’s been over two months since I last did this post. Oh well, it can’t be helped, I guess. Anyway, let’s talk about another Bewitching Book Cover.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Bewitching Book Covers (formerly Tasteful Tuesdays, and before that, Majestic Mondays), is a series where I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.

This week, the book cover that I’m highlighting is Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher! It’s one of her new novels that was released this year! It also has a gorgeous cover! (Also, I can’t believe I forgot to put What Stalks the Deep on my list of interesting new books coming out September 2025. Like seriously, I really liked the other two Sworn Soldier novellas!)

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

LENGTH: 368 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 19 August 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind

Healer Anja knows little of politics but much of poisons. When she is summoned to treat the mysterious illness afflicting the king’s daughter, she finds herself against the clock, desperate to track down the source of the poison killing Princess Snow. But the chance discovery of a strange alternate world inside a magic mirror leads Anja to darker discoveries, including what really happened to Snow’s dead sister, Rose, and why their mother seemingly went mad and cut out her heart.

Aided by a taciturn bodyguard, a narcissistic cat, and a late Renaissance understanding of the scientific method, Anja must navigate the mysteries of the mirror world before the dark queen that dwells within rises to threaten them all.

Book Cover Rating: 🍎🍎🍎🍎 • 4 definitely not poisoned apples

As I mentioned above, Hemlock & Silver has a beautiful cover. It’s a bit simple, but it definitely has a lot of charm – not to mention, it still stands out.

The background may be a matte black, but I see that as a strength for the book cover. It just makes everything else on it look more distinct. I love that there’s an apple front and center, as well, even if it is a bit on the nose. You can’t have a Snow White reimagining without an apple reference, after all! The apple being surrounded by (presumably) poisonous plants and flowers also further accentuates the reference of said apple. I also just love flowers – even if they’re both gorgeous and deadly at the same time!

The title’s font is simple, yet elegant. I love how it being ivory colored makes it really stand out against everything else on the book’s cover, as well as contrast starkly against the background. The font for the author’s name is also pretty eye-catching. It’s in all caps as well as in light gold. Not quite as prominently as the title, but then I wouldn’t want it to be. (I don’t really like it when the author’s name is significantly bigger than the title – I usually read a book based on its title, cover and description, after all. Not who wrote it. I’m usually more curious about the book itself.)

So yeah, here’s yet another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read Hemlock & Silver? If you have, what did you think of it?

Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet

Happy Wednesday! It’s officially a streak with this post now!

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 Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub! ⚡🧪

I loved The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch when I read it two years ago, and now Melinda Taub has another novel set in the same universe focusing on another Bennet sister. Of course it’s going on my potential TBR. (I just have so many books on my To Be Read List guys – I don’t know when and if I’m gonna get to some of these novels.)

The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub

The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub

LENGTH: 320 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Historical, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Amulet Books

RELEASE DATE: 30 September 2025

An utterly fantastical and undeniably queer melding of Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein that recasts Mary Bennet as an insatiable scientist, one who creates a monster in an attempt to save herself from spinsterdom

Mary Bennet is the middlest middle child of all time. Awkward, plain, and overlooked, she’s long been out of favor not only with her own family but with generations of readers of Pride and Prejudice.

But what was Mary really doing while her sisters were falling in love? Well, what does any bright, intrepid girl do in an age when brains and hard work are only valued if they come with a pretty face? Take to the attic and teach herself to reanimate the dead of course. The world refuses to make a place for peculiar Mary, but no Bennet sister ever gives up on happiness that easily. If it won’t give this fierce, lonely girl a place, she’ll carve one out herself. And if finding acceptance requires a husband, she’ll get one. Even if she has to make him herself, too.

However, Mary’s genius and determination aren’t enough to control what she unwittingly unleashes. Her desperate attempts to rein in the destruction wreaked by her creations leads her to forge a perhaps unlikely friendship with another brilliant young woman unlike any she’s ever known. As that friendship blossoms into something passionate and all-consuming, Mary begins to realize that she may have to choose between the acceptance she’s always fought for and true happiness.

Are you looking forward to The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet? 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

First Line Friday: 9/12

Happy Friday, everybody! It’s been a few weeks.

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

📚 Take a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open it to the first page
📝 Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
📙 Finally… reveal the book!

Here’s the first line:

Now that all my feyness is coming in, I think I oughta get involved in the family business, even if I gotta eavesdrop to do it.

Any ideas on what book it is? If you don’t, here’s another hint or two…

Still don’t know? Here are some awesome pictures of books to admire while you consider it a bit longer…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Bad in the Blood by Matteo L. Cerilli!

(Didja guess it?)

Bad in the Blood by Matteo L. Cerilli

LENGTH: 392 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tundra Books

RELEASE DATE: 2 September 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In a world where magical beings, fey, are mistrusted and often institutionalized, a human brother and fey sister must team up to solve a bizarre murder in this 1920s-inspired queer teen fantasy novel.

In the city of Puck’s Port, where motorized vehicles fill the streets and new technological marvels abound, something rotten is lurking under the surface. A violent murder at the docks seems to point to a fey killer, igniting a powder keg of distrust between the city’s humans and its fey inhabitants — folks who wield wonderful but often uncontrollable magical power.

Gristle Senan Maxim Junior finds himself caught in the middle. Forced into the reluctant role of private investigator, like his late father, he’s working to solve the mystery of this fiery murder… mainly because his sister, Hawthorne Stregoni, is a fey herself with an unfortunate penchant for setting things ablaze.

Hawthorne is part of an experimental study to control feyism but struggles to keep her powerful magic in check in a country that hates what she is. Can she and Gristle work together to find the true instigator of the murder before it’s too late?

What books have you been reading lately? What’s on your TBR that you’re currently the most excited about?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Faerie Morgana

Hello everybody, and Happy 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:

The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan! 🗡️🌼

I always love stuff with Arthurian lore, or reimaginings of Arthurian legends and characters. And this one looks interesting. My TBR is like ten miles long though, and there’s other stuff coming out this month that I’m looking forward to as well though, so we’ll see when I get to this.

The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan

LENGTH: 528 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Redhook

RELEASE DATE: 16 September 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In this atmospheric and bewitching novel, Louisa Morgan reimagines the story of Morgan Le Fay, one of the most enigmatic and powerful women in Arthurian legend. 

To the other priestesses of the Nine, a powerful council at the Lady’s Temple, Morgana is haughty and arrogant as she performs feats of magic no human should be capable of. Rumors start that she must be a fearsome fae.

To King Arthur, Morgana is a trusted and devoted advisor, but his court is wary of her and her prodigious talent at divination. But his wife sees Morgana as a rival and a malevolent witch.

To Braithe, Morgana’s faithful acolyte, she is simply the most powerful priestess Camelot has seen.

Morgana doesn’t know why she’s so different from everyone else, and she doesn’t much care. But when she aids Arthur to ascend the throne before his time, she sets off a series of events that will change everything Morgana believes about her power.

Are you looking forward to The Faerie Morgana? 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: Bad in the Blood

Happy Wednesday everybody! Two weeks in a row!

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:

Bad in the Blood by Matteo L. Cerilli! 🔍🌹

Bad in the Blood by Matteo L. Cerilli

Bad in the Blood by Matteo L. Cerilli

LENGTH: 392 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tundra Books

RELEASE DATE: 2 September 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In a world where magical beings, fey, are mistrusted and often institutionalized, a human brother and fey sister must team up to solve a bizarre murder in this 1920s-inspired queer teen fantasy novel.

In the city of Puck’s Port, where motorized vehicles fill the streets and new technological marvels abound, something rotten is lurking under the surface. A violent murder at the docks seems to point to a fey killer, igniting a powder keg of distrust between the city’s humans and its fey inhabitants — folks who wield wonderful but often uncontrollable magical power.

Gristle Senan Maxim Junior finds himself caught in the middle. Forced into the reluctant role of private investigator, like his late father, he’s working to solve the mystery of this fiery murder . . . mainly because his sister, Hawthorne Stregoni, is a fey herself with an unfortunate penchant for setting things ablaze.

Hawthorne is part of an experimental study to control feyism but struggles to keep her powerful magic in check in a country that hates what she is. Can she and Gristle work together to find the true instigator of the murder before it’s too late?

Are you looking forward to Bad in the Blood? 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: Katabasis

Happy Wednesday everybody! Here we go again!

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:

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang!

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

LENGTH: 540 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins

RELEASE DATE: 26 August 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Dante’s Inferno meets Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi in this all-new dark academia fantasy from R. F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface, in which two graduate students must put aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul—perhaps at the cost of their own.

Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek:

The story of a hero’s descent to the underworld

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world.

That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault. 

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams…. 

Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the very same conclusion. 

With nothing but the tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them, enough chalk to draw the Pentagrams necessary for their spells, and the burning desire to make all the academic trauma mean anything, they set off across Hell to save a man they don’t even like. 

But Hell is not like the storybooks say, Magick isn’t always the answer, and there’s something in Alice and Peter’s past that could forge them into the perfect allies…or lead to their doom. 

Are you looking forward to Katabasis? 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: Girls of Dark Divine

Happy Wednesday everyone! The new books just don’t stop coming! Also, look – new graphic for the featured image!

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:

Girls of Dark Divine by E.V. Woods!

Yeah, I know this technically came out yesterday, but I was a little off my game last week in terms of blog activity. And this book does look interesting.

Girls of Dark Divine by E.V. Woods

Girls of Dark Divine by E.V. Woods

LENGTH: 400 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Delacorte

RELEASE DATE: 5 August 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A group of hauntingly beautiful girls have been bound together by a cruel curse—and one of them will go to any lengths to save them from their violent dance. A breathtakingly gorgeous gothic fantasy about love and control that will never let you go. This spellbinding debut is perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber!

In the legendary ballet theatre of New Kora, the girls on stage enchant the audience each night with their grace and divine beauty. Before Emberlyn became the show’s star, it was her dream to become one of the ballerinas… until she learned the price of their living nightmare.

A curse has bound the girls to the show’s mastermind, Malcolm, so they must obey his every command. They are controlled by the magic’s invisible strings that has the power to wield their limbs like marionette dolls. Only the commands don’t stop when the curtain comes down, and the girls live a life of fear from Malcolm’s wickedness and the twisted truth that each dancer is destined to turn to dust when the curse finally consumes her. 

When the troupe is invited to perform in the glitzy city of Parlizia, Emberlyn knows this could be her best chance to save them all. She meets an elusive boy made of shadows with a magical connection to the girls. Together, they work to unravel the haunting truth about their creation and fight for their survival. But the cost of freedom might be too high, and as she dances closer to the edge of darkness she realizes she might break the curse… or break her own heart forever.

Are you looking forward to Girls of Dark Divine? 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