End of the Year Round Up & Books We're Most Excited For In 2020

Well, everyone, it seems we've come to the end of the year, and the end of the decade! So, we here at TAC are going to give you each our favorite books of 2019! Then we'll hand you some books we can't wait for that we think you should add to your TBR for 2020!

Cat

Favorites of 2019

Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway

Dark of the West is an alternate, YA fantasy take on WWI that doesn't make you feel like you're watching a dry documentary or studying for your history class. It shocked me as being my favorite of the year as I had bought it back in February when it first released, but then didn't step into the pages until a few months ago when I received an arc of the second book.

The second I opened this book it swept me away and showed me a whole new world essentially. You have your monarchies that have their union that prevents anyone from just going to war for the sake of it. Then you have your militaristic state which is run by the man who overthrew the monarchies that once ruled it, and he's out for more. There's your rebel state that was also once a monarchy but is now hiding behind it's borders and preparing to free more kingdoms, and also fight back against the military state. Everything there is stuff you learn about in classes but actually elaborated upon. You don't just focus on the monarchies and the strategy part, you're thrown into the depths. (There's also a bit of an Anastasia aspect too!)

It's filled up with intrigue and drama and characters that you can't help but love and be intrigued by even when you hate them with all your being. Plus a romance between our two main characters that will never truly have it's happy ending. A princess, mourning her father and struggling to understand her place, and the too gentle son of the military leader, desperate to be loved for who he is, not what his father wants him to be.

As I've also read the second book, I can tell you it's absolutely going to be that kind of series that sticks with you for a long while afterwards. The characters, the plot, the world, the secrets that get unraveled, changing things drastically. It's all so wonderful, and impossible to put down. You'll have to grab this one up as soon as possible, as it's quite the perfect read for cozying up inside when it's cold outside!

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

Back in April of 2016, my graduating semester/year, I blasted through the first three books of the raven cycle, and fell in love with the cast of characters. Most important, Blue and Gansey, who were, above all peak romance for someone who loved CW shows and the slow burns that came from them.

However, there were some things sometimes that disappointed me, Spoilers Ahead if you haven't read the first series and intend to. The final book's ending was one of those things. I felt like she copped out a bit, and rushed the end. Gansey was meant to die by Blue's lips, and he could have done it halfway through, resulting in a race to fix the rest of their problems while also finding a way to bring Gansey back.

Instead we get them in the last 100 pages, rushing to solve everything at once, and realizing, "Oh hey, Gansey hasn't died? Maybe that'll fix everything?" And then Blue kisses Gansey and bam he's dead, and then Adam does something real quick and, "Oh! He's back! Everything's fine now."

Spoilers Ended

So, needless to say I was wary of Call Down the Hawk when it was first announced, especially since Ronan wasn't exactly my favorite character, not without Blue there to play off of his anger. However, the call of Declan and the other dreamer got to me. I grabbed it on the day it came out and blasted through it.

It's warm, and deadly, and romantic, and.... everything. There's an eldritch dream god that's stalking their every footstep and a mysterious figure who knows everything. Declan is a repressed fool and Ronan needs to learn to control his anger. Jordan is a tragic delight who will capture your heart like she does to the Lynch brothers. It was exactly what I wanted, and needed, to continue with this world.

You don't have to read the first saga, but hey, I do promise it's a cozy, enchanting ride! And it would make me feel so much better if you don't skip ahead in the series. And once you're done with that, you'll have this beautiful new series waiting for you.

Most Excited For in 2020

I have a handful that I'm incredibly excited for in 2020, but here's two I think you should add to your TBR!

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

Out March 3rd

Now, here's the one that I personally have been excited for since Throne of Glass ended and I was desperate for more Maas content. I had seen her pinterest board for this years ago, but thought nothing of it because I vaguely remembered some person saying that it was an older project of hers that was being published on another website just by her for fun, kind of like Throne of Glass originally was. I set it aside and continued on with ACoTAR and ToG.

Then last year they announced this series, and this book, and I near lost my mind. Sarah is the perfect example of an author who knows what she likes, and goes for it. She loves her fans and her worlds and characters so much that it's so very clear when you're reading anything she writes. She just, she doesn't give a hoot what anyone thinks of her!

Her writing is indulgent and glorious and everything I want when I want to read something beautiful and have fun at the same time, which a lot of the times, beautiful writing doesn't make room for. I'm desperately hoping that with this new adult SFF series, other authors will see that they too can remove the stick and just have fun. Write for yourself.

But Alas, the book itself:

We're in a world where humans have been subjugated by these magical races who, at least ten thousand years ago, appeared through some kind of rift by way of this higher race called the Asteri. There are angels and fae and shifters of all different types.

Bryce Quinlan is our protagonist, a half fae who is hiding who her real fae father is, the Autumn King. There are a ton of different mysteries set up at the beginning that slowly unravel with the best of pay offs.

Hunter Alathar is our other sort of protagonist, an angel, enslaved by the archangels along with the other magical races that rebelled against the asteri years ago. He works for the archangel that governs Crescent City, Micah, and kills at his command in an attempt to free himself faster.

They're assigned to work together a year after a tragedy that sees all of Bryce's friends brutally slaughtered, and if they don't solve who the murderer is, well, Hunt will suffer, and Bryce will likely lose her mind from failing her dead friends. Among other consequences I won't spoil.

It's perfect, it's chunky, and it's a series, so Sarah has much more for us down the road, and we should all be excited about what it means for the state of SFF.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Out June 2nd

So, this is a sequel, so if you haven't read Gideon the Ninth, I highly suggest you grab that one and hunker down for June when this one comes out. I'm only about 200 pages into this, but I can tell you right now, it's absolutely perfect, better than the first somehow.

You're in space, you've got necromancers, nine different houses that all practice different magics and do different things for their Deathless Emperor. In book one the heirs of each house are summoned to what is essentially their great library planet where they compete to ascend to a place beside the Emperor as one of his revered protectors.

Spoiler alert:

In book two, Harrow is one of two who ascended, and she's entirely broken by what she had to do to get there. She lost her cavalier, the woman she fell in love with, despite how much they annoyed each other. Now, she's learning that everything they knew on their home planets was wrong, and that they and the Emperor are locked in a timeless battle against the sentient mistakes that he made early on in his reign that are out to destroy his protectors.

It's a mystery thriller wrapped up in a sci fi adventure tale, and boy oh boy do I never know what's happening! But that's exactly the point! Because you're having fun, and that's all that matters! Muir is so trustworthy you know that whatever happens in the end, it's what was meant to be!

So please do check out these gothic, lesbian necromancers in space, and the deathless Emperor they serve! It's perfect, and you won't regret starting this series.

Eliza

Favorite of 2019

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Never have I read a book as rich, enthralling, and beautifully written as Children of Blood and Bone. Tomi Adeyemi creates a world and characters that mirror our own, and the symbolism she manages to convey throughout the story is heartbreakingly beautiful. The story follows Zélie, a girl whose magic can control the dead, who is given the chance of a lifetime: to return magic to her kingdom, and restore order with the Gods. She sets off on a journey with her brother and the daughter of an evil king, their one goal to go to a sacred temple and bring magic back to their mistreated people. But several obstacles stand in their way, including the king's son, and Zélie's abilities are tested time and time again.

This story is a tale of revenge turned to redemption, of enemies-to-lovers, and of the battles we face internally and externally. Adeyemi weaves them all together with poetic grace, making sure to break your heart and then put it back together again within mere sentences. I couldn't help but get lost in the adventure, and truly believe that this book deserves all the praise it's gotten, and even more. Readers be warned, once you start, it's hard to stop, and there's no guarantee you won't shed tears or audibly gasp at least twenty times as you read.

Most Excited For in 2020

The new year brings with it so many new books to look forward to. Just thinking about all the amazing books that will be coming out this year makes my heart skip a beat. But, alas, only one must be chosen, and that one is….

Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab

Schwab has conquered basically all realms of fiction: adult, YA, and now middle grade. Bridge of Souls is the third installment in the Cassidy Blake series, which tells the story of a girl who can see ghosts. Cassidy Blake was saved from drowning by her best friend, who happens to be dead. Being so close to death has allowed Cass to peel back the “veil” in between the worlds of the living and the dead. Now, she’s travelling the world with her parents, self-proclaimed ghost hunters, as they film a TV series about their work. Along the way, Cass has been on several adventures through the land of the dead, helping send ghosts towards their final resting place, and dealing with troublesome spirits who want to keep her from meddling.

Now, Cass’ journey takes her to New Orleans. This book has promised immense adventure, and even a brush with a servant of death! In each of these books, Schwab manages to take hold of the magic of local legends, and leads readers through cities both in their living, colorful state, but also in the dull grays and shadows of what they once were. The effect is a haunting understanding of how the past can be hidden, and everything isn’t always what it seems, and this upcoming tale promises to do the same.

Charlotte

Favorites of 2019

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

This is not YA but it is a book that I think has strongly impacted my view of the world in the past year. Persepolis is a memoir about Marjane’s childhood in Iran. She grew up during times of revolution and was impacted by the changing environment both directly and indirectly. This story is in graphic novel form, which I found made it a quick read (2 hours). So if you’re trying to reach that reading goal it’s a good one to slip in.

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

This is a book about vampires, yes you heard me, vampires. Renee Ahdieh is bringing back this creature of shadows, and she is writing them as if she invented the trope. I love this book and it had my heart racing the whole time I read it. Celine is running to New Orleans to join a convent, while also running away from her past life in Paris. She thought she had escaped death until other girls from the convent begin to turn up dead. What happens after that is much too scandalous for the Victorian era women to discuss in daylight.

So with this, we step from 2019, fully into 2020, and ya'll, this is gonna be a good year for books.

Thank you all for following us since we started last June, and I hope in this new year we'll fully steam out the wrinkles and get this thing rolling with no brakes in sight!