January 2020 Book Releases
I am so excited about some of the books being published this year. Peace Talks is on its way as is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This post however is focused on the fantastic January 2020 book releases! There are so many amazing books releasing this month that I highly recommend you take a look. As always, I am here to help with my top picks for this month:
A Heart So Fierce and Broken
Title: A Heart So Fierce and Broken
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: 7th January 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
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Many readers have been avidly awaiting January 2020 book releases simply for the chance to read this book! This is the hotly anticipated sequel to A Curse So Dark and Lonely, which is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. We return to Emberfall after the curse is finally broken but with forbidden magic being unleashed Prince Rhen has new problems to face…. This is definitely a series that should be on the TBR list of YA fantasy and retellings fans.
Spellhacker
Title: Spellhacker
Author: M. K. England
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Published: 21st January 2020
Genre: YA SFF, LGBT
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This sounds completely like my cup of tea! I’ve just finished reading The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman, which is wonderful by the way, and am already ready for another heist story! In this story magic was once considered a natural resource but greedy corporations gained control, selling it as an commodity. During illegal siphoning Diz and her friends uncover a new strain of magic. With their powerful discovery they begin to reveal a conspiracy at the heart of it all…. Not only does the synopsis sound great but I love that there is great diversity and non-binary representation according to early reviewers. A 100% pick up for me.
Dark and Deepest Red
Title: Dark and Deepest Red
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: 14th January 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling, LGBT
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I initially thought that this book was a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses but it is actually a reworking of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes. The story is set in 1518 Strasbourg where women are dancing in the streets until some of them fall down dead. Accusations of witchcraft are made and Lavinia must do what she can to protect herself and those dear to her. Five centuries later a pair of red shoes seal to the feet of Rosella Oliva. Will she survive the uncontrollable dancing with the help of Emil, whose ancestors were blamed centuries earlier? Discovering the truth may be the only thing to set Rosella free. With transgender representation and an exploration of Romani culture, this retelling sounds very interesting.
This Vicious Cure
Title: This Vicious Cure
Author: Emily Suvada
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 23rd January 2020
Genre: YA Sci-fi, Dystopia
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I have thoroughly enjoyed the other books in this series so far! This is the third and final instalment of The Mortal Coil trilogy. It is a fantastic dystopian series with kick ass characters, interesting genetic tech and a lot of fast-paced action. The series begins with a race against time for geneticists to develop a cure against a devastating virus that threatens humanity. I won’t say anything about where book three begins in case you haven’t followed the series but you can check out the synopsis via the Goodreads link above. I can’t wait to find out how this series ends! If you like YA dystopia then this is a great series to pick up!
What I Carry
Title: What I Carry
Author: Jennifer Longo
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Published: 21st January 2020
Genre: YA Contemporary
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Now we venture to my contemporary pick of the month. The synopsis really gripped me as the story focuses on a girl, Muir, who has grown up in foster care “And if she’s learned one thing, it is to Pack. Light.” Muir only has one year left in the foster care system and doesn’t want to develop attachments at this late stage. She wants to finally feel like she is free but things don’t always go to plan though. As someone who has considered becoming a foster carer and plans to adopt in the future, this is going to be a very interesting read for me.
Which January 2020 book releases are you looking forward to reading? Let me know below!
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2 Comments
Hallo, Hallo Delly,
I admit, I *love!* a good fairytale retelling – esp if it is within the Beauty and the Beast canon; though I have come across this particular series before – I am always on the fence if I should read it or not as I’m worried it might be painted a bit too dark and black for my likes / tastes. Is it especially graphic or darkly lit or is it a dramatic retelling which is still rooted in the relationship aspects of beauty & the beast? I can never remember what I’ve read about this particular book / series and thereby I still don’t know if I should fetch it at the library or not! lol
I hadn’t realised we share the same goal? I’m also a Prospective Adoptive Mum (in future) as I want to adopt children from foster care as well. I’m not going to foster them ahead of time though – as know some parents opt to foster than adopt but rather will go through the adoption portal of the program.
I, too, seek out foster care and adoption stories – which I’ve been able to bring to my blog through the past six years. Two stand-outs were “Red Thread Sisters” and “The Language of Hoofbeats” – have you read or heard of those? The first focuses on Chinese adoption and the second focuses on at risk foster youth within an LGBT+ family dynamic.
I’m going to have to check out “What I Carry” as I can understand why someone would want to keep their belongings on the lighter side when they are constantly in-transition from one placement to another and have no permancy in their lives. This is one reason I loved the charity Hayden Byerly started? Where he gives duffels out to foster children so they can have one piece of luggage to take with them between placements?
Thanks for giving me a new book / author to seek out! And, many blessings on your road towards being a foster carer and adoptive Mum!
Hi! I have to admit that I have not finished A Curse So Dark and Lonely yet as I got behind with my review books. There are plenty of reviews around though if you want to get more of a feel for the book and I will definitely get a review up myself at some point.
Ooo yay! It is great to meet a fellow prospective adopter. Foster to adopt is a very interesting concept and I can see how it is great for young children so that they have some early stability but extremely difficult for the fosterer/prospective adopter. I watch ‘Aimee vlog’ on YouTube, who is an adopter and has some great videos from a UK adoption perspective. I think there are probably a lot more USA based vloggers out there to access too 🙂
Thanks for the recommendations! I hadn’t heard of either of those so they are going straight on my TBR! Do let me know if you come across any others. Best of luck when you get started with the adoption process xxx