21 books I'm looking forward to in 2021-Part 1

Hey everyone! It's been a bit since I've posted here, but I am trying to get back into the swing of it. I TRIED to come up with a list of 21 books I wanted to read off my TBR list, but that proved to be too much of a struggle. (anyone else have a hard time committing to a book that you have already deemed as one you want to read? no? just me.)

So, without any further ado, and IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, here is the first installment of the 21 books I'm looking forward to in 2021. 

Unchosen is a dynamite of a book. It has dystopian elements (it's the world after a horrible disease -The Crimson- has taken over); if has magic (she can hear the future and predicts in riddles, and dreams of a long dead woman who will lead her to break the curse); and it has pirates. And "swoon-worthy" sea captains. And, while I wish wish wish it was more than one book, it is a complete story wrapped up in one novel. Pick it up. 

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It's book 4 of the Court of Thorns and Roses series and I AM HERE FOR IT. To be honest, I don't even know what this book is about, or what characters it follows, and I don't care. I loved the others in the series and can't wait for this one to hit my doorstep (you know I preordered this). In fact, I might have to reread the others before this one gets here.

​And yes, I am bitter about the cover redesign. But that seems like a small price to pay in order to get more out of that world. 

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Alan Gratz is a solid choice for any middle school library, but some of his last books felt a little flat for me (and for some of my students). This book is not flat. It is easily my favorite of his and one I can't wait to recommend to my kiddos here at school. Highly recommend. 

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I have enjoyed many of Kara Thomas' other books, and this one seems to be just as promising. I mean, part of the tagline on Goodreads is "Three went up the mountain. Only one came back." That, plus a narrator who can't remember (and is therefore, hopefully, unreliable)? Sign me up. 

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I am woefully behind on reading Kiera Cass. My first foray into her work was The Siren (which, was a disappointment to say the least), and then I picked up The Betrothed. And I loved it. Which is why I am dying to get my hands on The Betrayed. Is it May yet?

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I mean, I know, I know. Why would I even put this book, with NO COVER, on my list? Because I am that excited about it. Karen McManus has another book that is supposed to be hitting shelves in December (title: You'll be the Death of Me). And you know what? I love her books so much that I'm keeping it on my list. Even if there isn't a cover. Or a very strong synopsis out there.

​It's my list.

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The cover alone was enough to make me want to read this one. I am a sucker for strong feminist artwork and this fit the bill. Then, when I read the synopsis, I was in. 

Here it is, from Goodreads:
​Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki--near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be--not even Deka herself.

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I mean, as soon as I saw that Yoon had another book coming out, and that it was also a contemporary romance, I knew I had to put it on my list. I LIVED for Everything Everything and I know that if this one is even HALF as good, I will be happy with it. Is it June yet?

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In 1946, Eva leaves behind the rubble of Berlin for the streets of New York City, stepping from the fiery aftermath of one war into another, far colder one, where power is more important than principles, and lies are more plentiful than the truth. Eva holds the key to a deadly secret: Project Bluebird -- a horrific experiment of the concentration camps, capable of tipping the balance of world power. Both the Americans and the Soviets want Bluebird, and it is something that neither should ever be allowed to possess.

But Eva hasn't come to America for secrets or power. She hasn't even come for a new life. She has come to America for one thing: justice. And the Nazi that has escaped its net.

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Abby needs to escape a life that she no longer recognizes as her own. Her old life--the one where she was a high school volleyball star with a textbook-perfect future--has been ripped away. Abby and her sister, Brooke, have received a letter from their estranged dad informing them he has Huntington's disease, a fatal, degenerative disorder that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. And when the sisters agree to genetic testing, one of them tests positive.

Fleeing to Catalina Island for the summer, Abby is relieved to be in a place where no one knows her tragic history. But when she meets aspiring documentary filmmaker Ben--tall, outdoorsy, easygoing, with eyes that don't miss a thing--she's thrown off her game. Ben's the kind of guy who loves to figure out people's stories. What if he learns hers?

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