Top Ten Tuesday 9/19/2017


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! Each week, a new topic is put into place and bloggers share their top ten accordingly. This weeks topic is: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List (in no specific order). Fall is when I’m MOST excited to settle down with books that are mostly dark Fantasy, Magical Realism, and Psychological Thrillers. This year I’m throwing in a bit of Sci-Fi for a change of pace. Most of these books are also arcs that I either picked up at Bookcon or was approved for on Netgalley/Edelweiss.

* Covers link to Goodreads

September 19th 2017: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

1. Wild Beauty By Anna-MarieMcLemore

Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.

* I read When The Moon Was Ours some time last year & fell in love with McLemore’s writing! I’ve heard early reviewers speak highly of Wild Beauty, I’m SOOOO ready for this one 🙂

2. The Tiger’s Daughter (Their Bright Ascendency #1) by Arsenault Rivera

Even gods can be slain….

The Hokkaran empire has conquered every land within their bold reach―but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now, their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests.

Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.

This is the story of an infamous Qorin warrior, Barsalayaa Shefali, a spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, and a power that can reach through time and space to save a land from a truly insidious evil.

* I caught wind of this one on Twitter & V.E. Schwab’s blurb immediately had me well on my way to Netgalley. As a Fantasy lover I was intrigued & to see that the author is Latinx was enough for me to know I had to give this one a go 🙂

3. Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

* Historical Fiction in YA is one of my fave sub-genres & this one just has my name written all over it! maybe just maybe…it will fill the void the SHOWtime series Dexter left in my little dark heart *evil grin*

4. The Glass Spare (The Glass Spare #1) by Lauren DeStefano

A banished princess.
A deadly curse.
A kingdom at war.

Wil Heidle, the only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

* OK! confession…I’m just as guilty as the next bookworm when it comes to impulse cover lusting lol. I requested 1st & then read the synopsis but I’m so happy that It’s one I’m genuinely interested in *phew* I can’t resist a female heroine especially one with hidden magical abilities.

5. Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo

aughter of immortals.

Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.

Daughter of death.

Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together.

Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

* It’s Wonder Woman…Lol am I right?

6. The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

* When the Queen puts out 2 books in one year, they must be read at once! lol. Leigh is one of my fave YA authors & this illustrated gemstone (nod to The Glass Spare haha) of a book is one I know I won’t be able to put off reading.

7. The Alchemists Of Loom (Loom Saga, #1) by Elisa Kova

Her vengeance. His vision.

Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.

Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.

When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.

He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom

* So I have had my eyes on this series for quite a bit now & it hasn’t been easy resisting the urge to just buy them all cuz would you just look at them! they have STUNNING covers (all 3) 😍😍😍. I’m also a sucker for all things Dragons or mystical creatures in general really. After having just finished Before She Ignites, this one went into my Amazon cart lol. 

8. Artemis by Andy Weir

Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you’re not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you’ve got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she’s stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.

* I didn’t read or watch The Martian although it is on my TBR, Artemis is a Netgalley approval though & so it will be the one I get to 1st & I’m pretty excited for this title 🙂

9. Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1) by Jay Kristoff

Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.

Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult.

The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student.

The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.

* Long overdue, my twin bff Gretchen @ChicNerdReads has raved about this book & she knows my soul & IT’S TIME! + I pre-ordered Godsgrave smh…it arrived LOL…I have a problem. 

10. The Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden

The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingalecontinues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.

Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.

* My MOST prized arc (next to They Both Die at the End of course hehe), I am waiting for November to read this one because it’s so atmospheric that It begs for cold weather. The Bear and the Nightingale was one of my top 10 faves of last year, ahhhh! so excited to have this one 🙂

Happy Tuesday Bookworms!!! I’m posting really late in the day but better late than never right? lol *sobs* if you’ve read any of the books on my list, please feel free to leave me some motivating words  if you think I need to boost any of these to the top of my TBR. Also link me to your TTT & I’ll swing by for some recommendations 😉

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45 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday 9/19/2017”

  1. Love you list! I’m excited to read Artemis and The Tiger’s Daughter as well. I love Anna-Marie McLemore as well, but I never got around to request her newest unfortunately. I’ll look forward to your review!

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    1. Thank you!!! 😃 there’s a ton of books I left out to stick to the “10” 😂 I’m Jellie right now, I want to be reading Nevernight but I’m trying to be good with my arcs (failing lol). Happy cozy reading 💕

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  4. Wild Beauty was a winner for me. I want to read all McLemore’s books now. I need to finish the Air Awakens series, and then move on to Kova’s other series. I am really enjoying it, though. She’s fabulous.

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    1. I’d also like to read McLemore’s Weight Of Feathers 😃 I’ve also heard of Of the Air Awakens series & seen the covers, this author had me at the covers 😍 lol. Good to know that her books are just as good 💙

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  7. Great list, Lilly! I’d love to read a few of these! Stalking Jack the Ripper was such a fun book. I love Audrey Rose as the MC and the murder mystery aspect of it was brilliant. I really hope you love it. I bought Hunting Prince Dracula (the second book) yesterday and I can’t wait to crack it open 🙂 Also, yas, girl. The Queen has graced us with two beautiful books this year and I am desperate to read both of them. I’ve heard great things about Wonder Woman but even better things about Language of Thorns. Considering it’s Leigh Bardugo, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed with either book. And I’m with you on Nevernight. I debated on getting The Last Magician or Nevernight yesterday but I went with The Last Magician. So, Nevernight is still in the “To buy” zone lol. I’ve read some pretty positive reviews on them, though! 😀

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    1. OMG! I have yet to read a single negative review on Stalking Jack the Ripper & I refuse to even go there lol. I’ve already convinced myself that I’m going to love it haha! I hope you enjoy Hunting Prince Dracula, my copy arrives this Friday smh (book buying problem). EeeeK! so hyped up for both Leigh’s books & I think I may start with Language of Thorns just because it’s perfect to read along with other books. OMG! I don’t how you managed to choose btwn The Last Magician & Nevernight! you are #GOALS! I’m about to go on a much needed book buying ban 😉

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      1. Haha, that’s okay. There are so many times when I’ve bought the sequel without having even read the first one. But I’m sure you won’t regret the buy. Stalking is amazing and I’ve heard Hunting is just as amazing! And you’re right, the short story format of Language complements other books well! I’m not even sure how I managed to choose either. I haven’t read Last Magician yet, but I plan to next month. And I’m actually returning from my book ban since I’ve finally got some cash in the bank LOL XD

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    1. I haven’t read The Martian but I’m really hoping this one is either equally as good or better *fingers crossed* & yes! I had the same feelings towards Stalking Jack the Ripper, wasn’t initially interested but then it was EVERYWHERE! lol. I have a hardcopy at home & the illustrations alone are worth it 😉

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  12. Great picks for this week Lilly. So many of these are books I am really really excited for, which I think you could tell based on how many of the ones that made your list were on mine as well. 🙂
    I really hope you love The Language of Thorns, I was lucky enough to get an ARC of it and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was incredible and even though my expectations were high Leigh Bardugo managed to exceed them. Basically I have a lot of feelings about that book. Also I really need to get around to Wonder Woman soon, it’s actually next on my to-read list once I finish the book I’m currently reading, which should hopefully be soon-ish. 🙂
    I really hope you enjoy Nevernight, that’s become a favourite of mine and I thought Godsgrave was even more incredible, and I also hope you enjoy The Girl in the Tower. I still need to read Katherine Arden’s first book but I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about it so I’m sure I’ll love it! 😀
    Again great picks for this week. 🙂 ❤

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    1. No surprise there, we have similar taste in books & OMG that’s so awesome you got an ARC of Language of Thorns!!! 😆😆😆 that’s amazing, I’m glad you enjoyed it & now I’m even more hyped up for its release next week. Can’t wait to see what you think of Wonder Woman 💜 & I have a feeling I’ll end up LOVING Nevernight! Gretchen is starting Godsgrave & I’m feeling so left behind 😭😂

      I honestly think you would LOVE The Bear and the Nightingale! not sure about the weather in London but it is best read in colder weather. So atmospheric it will seriously suck you in! haha 😂

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      1. Ha, definitely no surprise. Yeah I was so thrilled when I saw that email from NetGalley, I wasn’t expecting it but it really did make my day and it was an incredible read as well. Wonder Woman I am going to be starting next week and I really really can’t wait to hear all about what you think of Godsgrave. 🙂
        It’s set to get very cold in London, so really I guess now I have no excuse not to pick it up! 😀

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  13. You’ve got some great books on this list!! I’m really looking forward to Wild Beauty – so many bloggers have been raving about it. And I really want to read Stalking Jack the Ripper soon, too. I’ve been meaning to read it since it first came out, so I really need to get around to it, haha.

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    1. Thank you Kourtni!!! OMYGOSH yes! I’ve heard so many great things about Wild Beauty as well & gahhh! must inhale all the books 😂😂😂 Stalking Jack the Ripper is one that I’m def reading ASAP now that I have a hardcopy lol. I hope we enjoy them all 💕

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      1. I just got Stalking Jack the Ripper on Saturday and was able to get it signed by the author at the Boston Teen Author Festival. Now I’m even more excited to read it, haha.

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  14. Awesome TBR! The Tiger’s Daughter didn’t worked out for me because of the second person POV which hindered my enjoyment of this book but I really hope you love it. I can’t wait for you to read Nevernight! It’s totally amazing and its sequel Godsgrave was even more better. I’m planning to read Wonder Woman in October and I’m so excited. I enjoyed Stalking Jack the ripper and I’m hoping to pick up Hunting Prince Dracula this month. I’ve heard so many great things about The Bear And The Nightingale. I added it to my November TBR list! I hope you enjoy the girl in the tower!

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  16. I hope you enjoy Alchemists of Loom as much as I did. The setting and Chimera’s were fantastic. I need more steampunk in my life haha. This line-up is looking pretty good. A few of these are in my pile 😉 I think we both discussed how hard it has been to hold off on The Girl in the Tower. Your title says September 2016 😉 Either you are a time traveler (which I am totally ok with) or I am further behind than I realized 😛

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    1. Bahhhha! Thanks for the heads up on my 2016 error 🤣🤣🤣 & I think I may just end up loving Alchemists…the last time I read anything with Chimera was Laini Taylor’s Daughter it Smoke and Bone trilogy & well It’s one of my all time faves ❤️! Love steampunk 🙌🏼 I’m seriously leaving The Girl in the Tower for the perfect fall or winter day as the ultimate treat to myself lmao! Can’t wait & we def have to chat about it ☺️

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    1. Oh wow! You’re the first blogger I’ve come across to be reading it 😃 that is SSOOOO good to know!!! It’s one of my top 5 highly anticipated books for 2017 & I would be so bummed if it wasn’t at least as good as TBATN lol! I’m glad you’re enjoying the Read 💙

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  19. Gurl, you are welcome to post your TTT whenever you want. Wednesday? Sure. Saturday? Whatever. We’ll still read it and love it.

    There are so many amazing books on this list! A ton of them are early series books, so I am less likely to read them soon… but Artemis is one that I just picked up! I can’t wait to read it. I haven’t read ANY of these books. I can’t wait to read your reviews so you can convince me to read them all. 😉

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    2. Bahhhha!!! Thank you Jackie! ☺️💕 and I am also really looking forward to reading Artemis soon 🙌🏼

      I have a really bad habit of starting series & then kicking myself when I have to wait a whole year for the follow up lol. Unless it’s a fave author, so I haven’t read Strange the Dreamer yet or Nevernight because I LOVE Laini Taylor and Jay Kristoff so much that it hurts to wait for their books 😂😂😂 I’m waiting for more books while I patiently collect them smh 🤦🏻‍♀️ I hope to have some great reads for the remainder of the year but I’m sure I’ll come across some duds as well lol 😉

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      1. I’m glad that I’m not alone when it comes to binge reading series– or, well attempting to. That’s my biggest frustration with fantasy and sci-fi (some of my favorite genres), actually! There aren’t enough standalone books for me. I’d love to see more of those show up.

        I hope that you come across more great reads than duds! Good luck with finding only amazing books. 🙂

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