Books I'm Squeeing About in January

A new year, a whole new wishlist of books that I cannot wait to read. Despite a whole host of books turning up at Christmas, there are always new releases that I cannot wait to start on. So without further ado, let's get on to January's very brilliant start to the year of new books!

The Wicked King by Holly Black
January 8th 2019

I have heard that for mortals, the feeling of falling in love is very like the feeling of fear. Jude has tricked Cardan onto the throne, binding him to her for a year and a day. But the new High King does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her, even as his fascination with her remains undimmed. Meanwhile, a traitor in the court is scheming against her. Jude must fight for her life and the lives of those she loves, all while battling her own complicated feelings for Cardan. Now a year and a day seems like no time at all...

I admit, I have yet to read the first book, but I've heard so many good things about it, that getting the second is already a bit of a given. I'll get to them both soon...

The Girl King by Mimi Yu
January 10th 2019

All hail the Girl King
Sisters Lu and Min have always known their places as princesses of the empire. Lu is destined to become the first female emperor, while Min is resigned to a life in her shadow. When their father declares their male cousin heir instead, his betrayal throws both their lives into chaos. Determined to reclaim her birthright, Lu must flee the court in search of an ally. Her quest leads her to Nokhai, the last surviving wolf shapeshifter. After years in hiding, Nok is forced into an uneasy alliance with the girl whose family killed everyone he ever loved. Now they need an army to take back the throne. Left alone in the volatile court, Min's hidden power awakens. It's a forbidden, deadly magic that could secure Set's reign... or allow Min to claim the throne herself.But there can only be one emperor, and the sisters' greatest enemy could turn out to be each other...

Everything about this just appeals, and sounds like it is absolutely my cup of tea. Bad ass warrior ladies! Fighting the patriarchy! Diversity! *grabby hands*
Imprison the Sky by A C Gaughen
January 22nd 2019

Stolen from her family as a child, Aspasia has clawed her way up the ranks of Cyrus's black market empire to captain her own trading vessel--and she risks it all every time she uses her powerful magic to free as many women, children, and Elementae from slavery as she can.
But Cyrus is close to uncovering her secrets--not only that Aspasia is a wind Elementa with the ability to sail her ship through the sky, but that she is also searching for her lost family. And if Aspasia can't find her younger siblings before Cyrus does, she will never be able to break free.
Armed with her loyal crew full of Elementae and a new recruit who controls an intriguing power, Aspasia finds herself in the center of a brewing war that spans every inch of the ocean, and her power alone may not be enough to save her friends, family, and freedom.

Now I absolutely adored the Scarlet trilogy by A C Gaughen, but I haven't yet read her latest Elementae series. I want to, I'm just nervous - my love for Scarlet is strong. But with the second book now coming out, I think it's finally time to read book 1 and fall headfirst into this series.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
January 29th 2019

Face your demons...or feed them.

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country's bloody civil war--and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka's coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.
Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren't meant to stay buried--and some wounds aren't meant to heal.

I adore Nikolai. He was my absolute favourite in the Grisha trilogy, and the idea of an entire book for his very own fills me with happy joy.

There are some of my picks for this month, what are you excited about getting your hands on?

Books I'm Squeeing About in January

A new year is almost upon us! How did that happen?! This last year has been an incredible year for books with so many amazing releases we have been thoroughly spoiled. Normally I'd worry that this coming year would have a hard time beating it, but then I look at all the books due out over the next twelve months and I know that it's going to be another incredible year for amazing books.

And January is no exception, there are some stunning books kicking off the year in style. So here you have the books releasing in January that I'm squeeing about.

5th January - This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.
10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.
10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.
10:05
Someone starts shooting.
Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

So I already read this book months ago, and it is still haunting me. This debut is stunning. A heart wrenching, terrifying and utterly brilliant debut. I cannot recommend it enough.

5th January - Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.
In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.
Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.
Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

Complete honesty? This is one of the cases where a book went on my want to read it now list based entirely on buzz and the cover. I hadn't even seen the blurb when I added it, but now I have I'm doubly excited and cannot wait to get reading.

14th January - Judged by Liz de Jager

Kit's job description includes solving crimes - the supernatural kind . . .
Glow, a fae-created drug, is rapidly going viral and the suppliers have to be shut down. Teaming up with Aiden and Dante, Kit follows leads across London, tracking down dealers. They stir up trouble, making themselves a target for the gang they're trying to stop.
In the Otherwhere, Thorn stumbles across a secret that could destroy both the human and Fae worlds. The Veil that separates our human world from the fae realms is weakening and the goddess is dying. And if she dies and the Veil fails, madness and chaos will wreak unstoppable havoc upon both lands.
Thorn turns to the only person he knows who'll be able to help him: Kit. Torn between working the Glow case and her loyalty for the young prince, Kit is propelled headlong into a world of danger. She faces enemies from both the Otherwhere and our world. And as the stakes are raised, the consequence of failure for both Kit and Thorn, and two realms, could be devastating.

I may not have gotten along superbly with the second book in this trilogy, but the first book was so brilliantly written that I cannot wait to get my hands on the third and final book. I'm hoping that the momentary dip experienced in the second book was that dreaded but expected moment where set up for the third book drags at it, and that the excellence of the first book will be back for this last installment.

14th January - Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.
Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.
Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.
In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

There has been so much buzz surrounding this book for months that I'm thoroughly excited about it already. It just sounds like it's going to be something I love - fantasy, magic, peril. Colour me thoroughly intrigued and excited.

26th January - My American Duchess by Eloisa James

The arrogant Duke of Trent intends to marry a well-bred Englishwoman. The last woman he would ever consider marrying is the adventuresome Merry Pelford - an American heiress who has infamously jilted two fiancés.
But after one provocative encounter with the captivating Merry, Trent desires her more than any woman he has ever met. He is determined to have her as his wife, no matter what it takes. And Trent is a man who always gets what he wants.
The problem is, Merry is already betrothed, and the former runaway bride has vowed to make it all the way to the altar. As honour clashes with irresistible passion, Trent realizes the stakes are higher than anyone could have imagined. In his battle to save Merry and win her heart, one thing becomes clear:
All is fair in love and war.

It's Eloisa James, of course it's on my need to read it now list, it's going to be superb.

There you have the books I'm going to be squeeing about in the coming months! Have any of these caught your eye? And are there any books that aren't on here that you think I need to check out? Let me know in the comments below!