It's the first weekend in June so grab your swimsuit, sunblock, and stuff your beach bag with these amazing upcoming summer reads that you won't want to miss!
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Secrets of Skin and Stone
Wendy Sparrow writing as Wendy Laine
YA Paranormal Romance
June 5, 2017
Entangled Teen |
1. Secrets of Skin and Stone by Wendy Laine
Blurb:
Something is wrong in Hidden Creek. The sleepy Alabama town is more haunted than any place fiend hunter Grisham Caso has ever seen. Unearthed graves, curse bags, and spilled blood all point to an evil that could destroy his gargoyle birthright. The town isn’t safe for anyone, and everyone says fiery Piper Devon knows why.
Piper wants to leave Hidden Creek behind. She’s had enough of secrets—they hide in the shadows of her room and tell her terrible things are coming. Too-charming city boy Grisham might be her only chance to save herself.
To survive, Piper and Grisham have to shed their secrets and depend only on each other. But what lurks in Hidden Creek still might take everything away from them, including each other.
Why You'll Want To Read This Book:
When a hot gargoyle comes to town to hunt down the fiends haunting Hidden Creek and meets strange, beautiful, OCD-ridden Piper the results will be epic! I devoured this book in a day and a half and it was unputdownable!
2. Dating You / Hating You by Christina Lauren
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Dating You / Hating You
Christina Lauren
Contemporary Romance
June 6, 2017
Gallery Books |
Blurb:
All’s fair in love and work. The first standalone romance by New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard) is a sexy, compulsively readable romantic comedy that dives headlong into the thrill and doubt of modern love.
Despite the odds against them from an embarrassing meet-awkward at a mutual friend’s Halloween party, Carter and Evie immediately hit it off. Even the realization that they’re both high-powered agents at competing firms in Hollywood isn’t enough to squash the fire.
But when their two agencies merge—causing the pair to vie for the same position—all bets are off. What could have been a beautiful, blossoming romance turns into an all-out war of sabotage. Carter and Evie are both thirtysomething professionals—so why can’t they act like it?
Can Carter stop trying to please everyone and see how their mutual boss is really playing the game? Can Evie put aside her competitive nature long enough to figure out what she really wants in life? Can their actor clients just be something close to human? Whether these two Hollywood love/hatebirds get the storybook Hollywood ending or just a dramedy of epic proportions, you will get to enjoy Christina Lauren’s heartfelt, raucous, and hilarious romance style at its finest.
Why I Want To Read This Book:
Every once in a while I like to take a break from the fantasy novels and this one sounds really good. I love Christina Lauren's books and I'm really looking forward to this one!
3. Song of The Current by Sarah Tolcser
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Song of the Current
Song of The Current #1
Sarah Tolcser
YA Fantasy
June 6, 2017
Bloomsbury |
Blurb:
Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. For generations, her family has been called by the river god, who has guided their wherries on countless voyages throughout the Riverlands. At seventeen, Caro has spent years listening to the water, ready to meet her fate. But the river god hasn’t spoken her name yet—and if he hasn’t by now, there’s a chance he never will.
Caro decides to take her future into her own hands when her father is arrested for refusing to transport a mysterious crate. By agreeing to deliver it in exchange for his release, Caro finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies, with dangerous pirates after the cargo—an arrogant courier with a secret—and without the river god to help her. With so much at stake, Caro must choose between the life she always wanted and the one she never could have imagined for herself.
From debut author, Sarah Tolcser comes an immersive and romantic fantasy set along the waterways of a magical world with a headstrong heroine determined to make her mark.
Why I Want To Read This Book:
I've heard great things about this book and the first line of the blurb is what has me hooked. The idea sounds unique and I can't wait to read it!
4. Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau
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Dividing Eden
Dividing Eden #1
Joelle Charbonneau
YA Fantasy
June 6, 2017
HarperTeen |
Blurb:
From the author of the New York Times bestselling Testing trilogy comes a sweeping new fantasy series, perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sarah J. Maas.
Twins Carys and Andreus were never destined to rule Eden. With their older brother next in line to inherit the throne, the future of the kingdom was secure.
But appearances—and rivals—can be deceiving. When Eden’s king and crown prince are killed by assassins, Eden desperately needs a monarch, but the line of succession is no longer clear. With a ruling council scheming to gain power, Carys and Andreus are faced with only one option—to take part in a Trial of Succession that will determine which one of them is worthy of ruling the kingdom.
As sister and brother, Carys and Andreus have always kept each other safe—from their secrets, from the court, and from the monsters lurking in the mountains beyond the kingdom’s wall. But the Trial of Succession will test the bonds of trust and family.
With their country and their hearts divided, Carys and Andreus will discover exactly what each will do to win the crown. How long before suspicion takes hold and the thirst for power leads to the ultimate betrayal?
Why I Want To Read This Book:
This book kind of reminds me of Three Dark Crowns meets the twins in the Royals (and that is probably a pretty bad comparison. Will the Trial of Succession turn these twins against each other? I'm dying to find out!
5. Roar by Cora Carmack
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Roar
Stormheart #1
Cora Carmack
YA Fantasy
June 13, 2017
Tor Teen |
Blurb:
In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.
Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.
To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.
Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage.
She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.
Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.
Why You'll Want To Read This Book:
Stormchasers chasing magical storms?!?! Do I need to say any more? Besides, look at that gorgeous cover!
6. Obsidian and Stars by Julie Eshbaugh
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Obsidian and Stars
Ivory and Bone #2
Julie Eshbaugh
YA Fantasy
June 13, 2017
HarperTeen |
Blurb:
In the sequel to Ivory and Bone—the prehistoric fantasy novel that New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman described as a “richly crafted world of life-and-death stakes”—the story shifts to Mya’s viewpoint as vengeful adversaries force her to flee the life she once knew.
After surviving the chaotic battle that erupted after Lo and the Bosha clan attacked, now Mya is looking ahead to her future with Kol. All the things that once felt so uncertain are finally falling into place. But the same night as Kol and Mya’s betrothal announcement, Mya’s brother Chev reveals his plan to marry his youngest sister Lees to his friend Morsk. The only way to avoid this terrible turn of events, Morsk informs Mya when he corners her later, is for Mya to take Lees’ place and marry him herself.
Refusing to marry anyone other than her beloved, and in an effort to protect her sister, Mya runs away to a secret island with Lees. And though it seems like the safest place to hide until things back home blow over, Mya soon realizes she’s been followed. Lurking deep in the recesses of this dangerous place are rivals from Mya’s past whose thirst for revenge exceeds all reason.
With the lives of her loved ones on the line, Mya must make a move before the enemies of her past become the undoing of her future.
Why I Want To Read This Book:
I haven't read Ivory and Bone, but reading this blurb had me interested enough to in reading it that I recently preordered a copy of Obsidian and Stars and Ivory and Bone from Good Choice Reading's Virtual Signing. I'll start with Ivory and Bone then look forward to reading this one!
7. Through the Fog by Taylor Fenner (me!)
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Through the Fog
Eternals Trilogy #3
Taylor Fenner
YA Urban Fantasy
June 27, 2017
Taylor C. Fenner Publishing |
Blurb:
Two Souls
After Thierry traps Luke in a coma-like slumber with the help of a powerful Voodoo priestess, Lizette, Sam, Keiran, Finn, and Wes must leave New Orleans and journey through the fog to the mythical Garden of Eden.
One Unbreakable Binding
There Claudette tells them they must harvest the blood of a rare animal native only to the Garden of Eden which contains the only antidote to Luke’s curse. They’ll have to hurry back to deliver the antidote before the binding that merges Luke and Lizette’s powers kills Lizette from being so far away from Luke.
If One Dies, So Does the Other
Where is the Garden of Eden? How can they be so sure that it even exists? Lizette will need the help of all of her friends as they travel through war-torn countries and battle mythical creatures that guard the Garden of Eden and the mysteries trapped within.
It’s More Than a Hunt for the Antidote; It is a Fight for Survival.
Will they get the antidote to Luke in time? Or have they come across the one curse strong enough to destroy an Eternal? Find out in the stunning conclusion to the Eternals Trilogy.
BONUS: INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE ETERNALS NOVELETTE "ETERNAL FIRE"
Two years before Out of Darkness, eighteen-year-old Finn Madigan is your average teenage guy. He has friends, cuts an obscene amount of class, and has hooked up with nearly every girl in the senior class. But Finn has a secret - he's an Elemental, a person capable of creating bursts of fire and spouts of water from thin air.
Finn just wants to bide his time in his hometown, Ishpeming, Michigan, until he graduates and can put as much distance between himself and the town, his parents, and his perfect brother as possible.
Then he meets a green-haired beauty named Arianthe and everything changes. Finally, Finn has someone who understands what he's going through and before he knows it he's falling in love.
But like William Shakespeare said, the course of true love never did run smooth. Can Finn hang on to Arianthe? Or will his brother Keiran steal her away?
Why You'll Want to Read This Book:
If you've been following the Eternals Trilogy, you definitely won't want to miss out on Through the Fog. Through the Fog is definitely more magical realism and urban fantasy than the first two books, appealing to a broader audience than before! Plus don't miss out on the exclusive novelette, ETERNAL FIRE!
8. Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
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Stillhouse Lake
Untitled Series #1
Rachel Caine
Psychological Thriller
July 1, 2017
Thomas & Mercer |
Blurb:
Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.
With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.
But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed—or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop.
Why I Want To Read This Book:
I love Rachel Caine and I also love psychological thrillers. I'm eager to see Rachel's transition from her usual genres to psychological thriller. Plus, if you're a Amazon Prime Subscriber you can read this book right now for free through First Reads!
9. Because of Lila by Abbi Glines
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Because of Lila
Sea Breeze Meets Rosemary Beach #2
Abbi Glines
NA Contemporary Romance
July 11, 2017
Abbi Glines |
Blurb:
Prim, proper, classic good girl, and her least favorite label - icy.
Lila Kate Carter has heard them all. The last one, being the newest. She is not icy. She just doesn’t care for Cruz Kerrington and his spoiled, selfish, careless ways. That doesn’t make her icy, that makes him a jerk!
Tired of being labeled and doing what is expected of her, Lila Kate leaves Rosemary Beach, Florida ready for an adventure. Wanting to recreate herself, find a new path, and become something more.
Eli Hardy is tired of women who always act the same, do the same thing and expect the same thing. He's ready to swear off women until he can get the rest of his life together.
Two weeks into his no-women-rule he meets Lila. She’s so damn sweet and polite. Like she walked right out of an etiquette book. But he’d already been drunk before she walked in so there was a good chance she might not be as stunning and perfect as he thinks. He’s just too drunk to worry about that.
The next morning, he swears he can still smell her on his skin. He just can’t remember why or what happened after that third dance.
Their worlds are about to collide, and so are the secrets and lies.
Why I Want to Read This Book:
I love Abbi Glines's books and I'm so happy that she's continuing her Rosemary Beach Meets Sea Breeze Series!
10. Trust by Kylie Scott
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Trust
Kylie Scott
YA Contemporary Romance
July 18, 2017
Kylie Scott |
Blurb:
Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love…the first time someone holds a gun to your head.
After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen year old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers. While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.
An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.
Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.
Why You'll Want to Read This Book:
Kylie Scott's indie YA debut is amazing, addicting, and all around perfect. If you're a fan of hers, or if you're just discovering her now, this is one book you will not want to miss!
11. The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman
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The Life She Was Given
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Historical Fiction
July 25, 2017
Kensington |
Blurb:
From acclaimed author Ellen Marie Wiseman comes a vivid, daring novel about the devastating power of family secrets--beginning in the poignant, lurid world of a Depression-era traveling circus and coming full circle in the transformative 1950s.
On a summer evening in 1931, Lilly Blackwood glimpses circus lights from the grimy window of her attic bedroom. Lilly isn't allowed to explore the meadows around Blackwood Manor. She's never even ventured beyond her narrow room. Momma insists it's for Lilly's own protection, that people would be afraid if they saw her. But on this unforgettable night, Lilly is taken outside for the first time--and sold to the circus sideshow.
More than two decades later, nineteen-year-old Julia Blackwood has inherited her parents' estate and horse farm. For Julia, home was an unhappy place full of strict rules and forbidden rooms, and she hopes that returning might erase those painful memories. Instead, she becomes immersed in a mystery involving a hidden attic room and photos of circus scenes featuring a striking young girl.
At first, The Barlow Brothers' Circus is just another prison for Lilly. But in this rag-tag, sometimes brutal world, Lilly discovers strength, friendship, and a rare affinity for animals. Soon, thanks to elephants Pepper and JoJo and their handler, Cole, Lilly is no longer a sideshow spectacle but the circus's biggest attraction. . .until tragedy and cruelty collide. It will fall to Julia to learn the truth about Lilly's fate and her family's shocking betrayal, and find a way to make Blackwood Manor into a place of healing at last.
Moving between Julia and Lilly's stories, Ellen Marie Wiseman portrays two extraordinary, very different women in a novel that, while tender and heartbreaking, offers moments of joy and indomitable hope.
Why I Want to Read This Book:
This book sounds really fantastic, bringing forth my love of carnivalesque books like The Night Circus, Water for Elephants, Freeks, and Caraval. Since I read the blurb, I'm so excited to read this one!
12. See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
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See What I Have Done
Sarah Schmidt
Historical Crime Fiction
August 1, 2017
Atlantic Monthly Press |
Blurb:
Lizzie Borden took an ax
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
Or did she?
In this riveting debut novel, See What I Have Done, Sarah Schmidt recasts one of the most fascinating murder cases of all time into an intimate story of a volatile household and a family devoid of love.
On the morning of August 4, 1892, Lizzie Borden calls out to her maid: Someone’s killed Father. The brutal ax-murder of Andrew and Abby Borden in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts, leaves little evidence and many unanswered questions. While neighbors struggle to understand why anyone would want to harm the respected Bordens, those close to the family have a different tale to tell—of a father with an explosive temper; a spiteful stepmother; and two spinster sisters, with a bond even stronger than blood, desperate for their independence.
As the police search for clues, Emma comforts an increasingly distraught Lizzie whose memories of that morning flash in scattered fragments. Had she been in the barn or the pear arbor to escape the stifling heat of the house? When did she last speak to her stepmother? Were they really gone and would everything be better now? Shifting among the perspectives of the unreliable Lizzie, her older sister Emma, the housemaid Bridget, and the enigmatic stranger Benjamin, the events of that fateful day are slowly revealed through a high-wire feat of storytelling.
Why I Want to Read This Book:
I'll admit, I have a bit of a creepy fascination with the Lizzie Borden case ever since I read Sweet Madness by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie. I'm curious to see this author's take on the murders.
13. Reunited by Colleen Houck
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Reunited
Reawakened Trilogy #3
Colleen Houck
YA Mythology Fantasy
August 8, 2017
Delacorte Press |
Blurb:
After surviving her otherworldly adventure, Lily wakes up on her nana’s farm having forgotten everything. Her sun prince, her travels to Egypt, and her journey to the Afterlife are all distant memories.
But Lily is not the girl she once was. Her body is now part human, part lion, and part fairy. And if that isn’t bad enough, she must now harness this power of three and become Wasret: a goddess destined to defeat the evil god Seth once and for all.
With the help of her old friend Dr. Hassan, Lily departs on her final voyage through the cosmos and across the plains of Egypt. On the journey, she will transform into the being she is destined to become.
Reunited is the heart-pounding conclusion to the Reawakened series.
It is time for Lily to find her sunset.
Why I Want To Read This Book:
I admit, I have to catch up on book two first, but I can't wait to read this book! This series is filled with adventure and romance, both things I love in books.
14. The Hummingbird Heart by A.G. Howard
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The Hummingbird Heart
Haunted Hearts Legacy #2
A.G. Howard
New Adult Historical Romance
August 15, 2017
A.G. Howard |
Blurb:
Set 19 years after The Architect of Song.
Shortly after escaping a circus tragedy, young Italian orphan, Willow Antoniette, seeks refuge at The Manor of Diversions—a holiday resort in England born of a ghost story. For eleven years, she’s raised alongside the children of the resort’s owners: Julian, his twin brother, Nick, and their younger sister Emilia. Now that Willow is of marriable age, she's determined to escape finishing school along with everyone's efforts to make her a proper lady. The only man she wants to spend her life with is Julian, after all. Yet how can she tell him, when he thinks of her as nothing but a friend?
As a machinist and engineer, Julian Thornton prefers a governable life. He can't allow his ever-deepening attraction for Willow to distract from his amusement park plans to lure a younger, wealthier clientele to their family's resort. In hopes to escape Willow and find investors, Julian sets off on a transatlantic ocean liner headed for the St. Louis World’s Fair, unaware Willow has secretly stowed away on the same ship.
A tiny, mute orphan named Newton and a pair of haunted Italian shoes bring Willow and Julian face to face on deck. Forced to work together to solve the mystery of Newton and his vindictive, ghostly companion, Julian and Willow can no longer fight their untapped passions. However, time to admit their true feelings is running out, for the ghost and her murderer have enlisted them as unsuspecting pawns in a karmic game of cat-and-mouse that could cost all of them their lives.
Why I Want to Read This Book:
I loved The Architect of Song and I'm eager to read the story of the next generation of Thorntons.
15. After the Game by Abbi Glines
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After the Game
Field Party #3
Abbi Glines
YA Contemporary Romance
August 22, 2017
Simon Pulse |
Blurb:
The third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Field Party series—a southern soap opera with football, cute boys, and pick-up trucks—from USA TODAY bestselling author Abbi Glines.
Two years ago, Riley Young fled from Lawton, Alabama. After accusing the oldest Lawton son, Rhett, of rape, everyone called her a liar and she had no option but to leave. Now she’s back, but she’s not at Lawton High finishing up her senior year. She’s at home raising the little girl that no one believed was Rhett’s.
Rhett is off at college living the life he was afraid he’d lose with Riley’s accusation, so Riley agrees to move back to Lawton so she and her parents could take care of her grandmother, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. But the town still hasn’t forgotten their hate for her, and she hasn’t forgotten the way they turned on her when she needed them most.
When town golden boy Brady Higgens finds Riley and her daughter, Bryony, stranded on the side of the road in a storm, he pulls over and gives them a ride. Not because he cares about Riley, of course, but because of the kid.
But after the simple car ride, he begins to question everything he thought he knew. Could Brady believe Riley and risk losing everything?
Why You'll Want To Read This Book:
After hearing about Riley in Under the Lights I bet you're dying to see why the whole town hates Riley. But what if she was telling the truth?
16. Fallen Heir by Erin Watt
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Fallen Heir
The Royals #4
Erin Watt
YA Contemporary Romance
August 28, 2017
Timeout LLC |
Blurb:
Senior Easton Royal struggles with personal demons and the reappearance of someone he's been trying to forget for the past three years.
Why I Want to Read This Book:
I fell in love with Easton in Paper Princess and I can't wait for him to get his own story (stories! eep!)
17. The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee
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The Dazzling Heights
The Thousandth Floor #2
Katharine McGee
YA Sci-Fi
August 29, 2017
HarperCollins |
Blurb:
New York, 2118. Manhattan is home to a thousand-story supertower, a breathtaking marvel that touches the sky. But amidst high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, five teenagers are keeping dangerous secrets…
LEDA is haunted by memories of what happened on the worst night of her life. She’ll do anything to make sure the truth stays hidden–even if it means trusting her enemy.
WATT just wants to put everything behind him…until Leda forces him to start hacking again. Will he do what it takes to be free of her for good?
When RYLIN wins a scholarship to an upper-floor school, her life transforms overnight. But being there means seeing the boy whose heart she broke, and who broke hers in return.
AVERY is tormented by her love for the one person in the world she can never have. She’s desperate to be with him… no matter the cost.
And then there’s CALLIOPE, the mysterious, bohemian beauty who arrives in New York, determined to cause a stir. And she knows exactly where to begin.
But unbeknownst to them all, someone is watching their every move, someone with revenge in mind. And in a world of such dazzling heights, just one wrong step can mean a devastating fall.
Why You'll Want To Read This Book:
Return to the dazzling, futuristic of the supertower from The Thousandth Floor. With someone watching in the shadows, will these characters' biggest secrets come out?
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As always, what do you think of the upcoming season's books? Which ones are you looking forward to? Did I miss any?
