Synopsis
A fantasy epic of freedom and empire, gods and monsters, love, loyalty, honour, and betrayal, from the acclaimed author of GODBLIND.
For generations, the forests of Ixachipan have echoed with the clash of weapons, as nation after nation has fallen to the Empire of Songs – and to the unending, magical music that binds its people together. Now, only two free tribes remain.
The Empire is not their only enemy. Monstrous, scaled predators lurk in rivers and streams, with a deadly music of their own.
As battle looms, fighters on both sides must decide how far they will go for their beliefs and for the ones they love – a veteran general seeks peace through war, a warrior and a shaman set out to understand their enemies, and an ambitious noble tries to bend ancient magic to her will.
Thoughts
The Stone Knife is one of those books that I didn’t realise was coming out until fairly recently, and now I’m so excited for it to be released. Anna Stephens is the author of the Godblind trilogy, a grimdark fantasy series that I completely adored and also broke my heart in the best way. It’s probably one of my all time favourite series so when I heard she was releasing something new I was immediately intrigued. I really enjoyed her writing style and I’m so looking forward to seeing what she does with a new series. The synopsis doesn’t give much away but it does sound like an epic story. Stephens writes really incredible battle scenes so I’m looking forward to more of them. I haven’t seen any early reviews for this one yet but I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for some. The Stone Knife is publishing November 26th 2020 from Harper Voyager.
The Trouble With Peace is the second instalment in Joe Abercrombie’s The Age of Madness series. It is definitely one of my most anticipated releases for 2020 and I’m so excited for the upcoming release. Book one A Little Hatred was a five star read for me and Joe Abercrombie is one of my favourite authors so I’m incredibly intrigued to see where this story goes next. It’s dark and gripping fantasy and I found A Little Hatred difficult to put down. This series is set in the same world as Abercrombie’s The First Law, while an industrial revolution takes place. I totally love the covers for this series too and am so excited to get my hands on a copy. It’s just over five hundred pages so I’m hoping for plenty of action to tide me over before the release of book three. If you haven’t had time to pick up A Little Hatred now is the perfect time to do it, The Trouble With Peace is releasing in a few weeks time on September 15th from Gollancz.
Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday! This week I wanted to talk about a book I am really excited for, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini. Christopher Paolini is the author of The Inheritance Cycle, a series which I read multiple times growing up. Along with the Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series, Eragon was probably one of the reasons I got into fantasy books as a child and it led me to read things like Lord of the Rings. I read The Fork, The Witch and The Worm by Christopher Paolini at the end of last year and it was so nice being back in the world of Eragon and Saphira. When I heard Paolini was releasing a completely new book that would be a space opera, I was completely sold. On reading the blurb I was so intrigued and it has the most stunning cover. I’ve been lucky enough to receive an ARC of this and it’s absolutely huge, but I cant wait to dive in. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars sounds like it’s going to be a fast paced and exciting read and it’s definitely jumped to the top of my TBR pile. If you’re keen to read this one you don’t have too much longer to wait, 
The Trials of Koli is the second instalment in the Rampart Trilogy and I am so excited for its release. I read and loved The Book of Koli a few months ago and I absolutely loved it. The story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m so excited to see where the next instalment takes us. Carey has created such a fascinating world in this series and as soon as I finished book one I was desperate for more. The characters are also brilliant in this one and if you want to read my full review of this you can check it out 
This book caught my eye in part due to that beautiful cover, but after reading the synopsis I was so intrigued to read more. I’ve really been enjoying reading YA mystery/thrillers recently and this just sounds like exactly the kind of book I’m looking for. I love the sound of the supernatural twist – that Link has been texting Noemi from beyond the grave. I’m hopeful that this is going to be one of those books you pick up and don’t put down again until you’ve binged the entire book. I have seen some mixed reviews for this on Goodreads so I’m interested to see if it will live up to my expectations. 
Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday! This week I thought I would mention The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker, a book that I’m really excited about. If that brilliant title and gorgeous cover aren’t enough to draw you in, the story is a paranormal tale about ghosts and the afterlife. Lauren James is an author I really like, with The Loneliest Girl of the Universe being an all time favourite. I enjoyed The Quiet at the End of the World a bit less, so I’m really intrigued by how this one will go. I do have a Netgalley ARC of this and I’m hoping to get to it really soon. It sounds like it’s going to be a really eerie and griping read and the synopsis for me is a bit reminiscent of V E Schwab’s City of Ghosts series, which I just love. I can’t wait to dive into this one and pick up a physical copy. 
Welcome to another waiting on Wednesday! This week I’m talking about Nightfall, the third and final book in the Ashen Torment series. I actually hadn’t heard much about the release of this at all – it’s still showing as untitled and without a cover on Goodreads. I then came across a mention on Twitter with that stunning cover and it made me so excited to pick this one up. Den Patrick’s Erebus Sequence is one of my favourite fantasy series of all time and Witchsign was one of my favourite books of 2018. (I haven’t actually read book two Stormtide yet, but it is very high on my priority list). I completely fell in love with the characters in this series and I’m so excited to see what the rest of the series brings. The Ashen Torment books are set in such a fascinating world and it’s one of those stories you absolutely cannot put down. 
I saw a few people talking about this online and thought I would have a look at the synopsis (mainly because I was intrigued by that absolutely stunning cover!). After reading what the book was about it immediately became an anticipated release. An heir attempting to reclaim her throne? The forbidden art of bone shard magic? WHERE DO I SIGN UP? This sounds like the kind of thing I would absolutely love and I’m so excited to read it. I’ve seen a few people have read it already and the reviews have all been 4/5 stars so that gives me really high expectations for this book. The Bone Shard Daughter is the first in The Drowning Empire series and I just have the feeling that this is going to be one of my all time favourites. I’m participating in the blog tour for this one in September but I know as soon as my copy arrives I’m going to be diving straight into this one. 
Mirage was one of those books that I thought sounded quite interesting and order a copy of and then sits on your TBR for absolutely ages. Eventually I picked it up and I absolutely devoured it. I couldn’t put it down and it was one of my favourite reads of 2019. It was fast paced, I loved the characters and the plot was so engrossing. I love the doppelganger trope and I think it’s done so well in this book. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this second instalment because I’m desperate to know what’s going to happen next. I have really high expectations for this one, so fingers crossed it lives up to it. The release date has been pushed back to August which I’m a bit sad about, but thankfully there isn’t too long to go. There is also a change in the cover design and while I like the new cover I do prefer the simple design of the first book and I’m going to be so sad they don’t match. If you haven’t picked up Mirage yet you can read my full review 
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of my most anticipated releases for 2020. Although I’m still working my way though V. E. Schwab’s back catalogue, I’ve read and loved her City of Ghost series, The Near Witch and Vicious. Each one was a four or five star read and I’m so eager to read more of her books. I went to an event to celebrate The Near Witch last year and she talked about how long she had worked on Addie LaRue and even with her just mentioning it briefly I was hooked. It sounds like an incredible read and I really adore Schwab’s writing. There’s been quite a lot of buzz about this book already, and I’ve seen a number of five star reviews from bloggers too. I’m so excited to get my hands on a copy but there are a few more months to wait, 
The Bibliophile Chronicles 