The Next Five (#5)

Hello everyone. Happy Sunday!

Here are the next five books that I will be reading! Since it is close to winter, I'm hoping for some nice refreshing books to read. I usually read one book at a time and unfortunately, I'm not the speediest reader either. Honestly, my list of books to read feels like it'll never end. If you've read any of the books I've mention, let me know on a 5-star rating scale what you think of it. Please don't put any spoilers! Here are the five books and my thoughts on them as I read the book descriptions. All the descriptions are taken from Goodreads. 

1. Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?

Ohhhhhhhh.... This book takes place in space. I think the last book that I read that takes place in space is Cress/Winter. I find it heartwarming that Ana is willing to defy a law for a robot. Technically it is her only family member, but it is a robot still. $10 bucks that the Ironblood and Ana fall in love. I'm pretty intrigued by this book. 

2. Spelled by Betsy Schow

Fairy Tale Survival Rule No. 32: If you find yourself at the mercy of a wicked witch, sing a romantic ballad and wait for your Prince Charming to save the day.

Yeah, no thanks. Dorthea is completely princed out. Sure being the crown princess of Emerald has its perks—like Glenda Original ball gowns and Hans Christian Louboutin heels. But a forced marriage to the charming brooding prince Kato is so not what Dorthea had in mind for her enchanted future.

Talk about unhappily ever after.

Trying to fix her prince problem by wishing on a (cursed) star royally backfires, leaving the kingdom in chaos and her parents stuck in some place called “Kansas.” Now it’s up to Dorthea and her pixed off prince to find the mysterious Wizard of Oz and undo the curse…before it releases the wickedest witch of all and spells The End for the world of Story.

The first line is 100% Disney law LOL. Hm... I wonder why she doesn't like Kato. Is he a bad guy? Or is she just being rebellious? OMG... This book is a reversal of The Wizard of Oz. Alright, I am super excited to read this book now. 

3. The Last to Let Go by Amber Smith

How do you let go of something you’ve never had?

Junior year for Brooke Winters is supposed to be about change. She’s transferring schools, starting fresh, and making plans for college so she can finally leave her hometown, her family, and her past behind.

But all of her dreams are shattered one hot summer afternoon when her mother is arrested for killing Brooke’s abusive father. No one really knows what happened that day, if it was premeditated or self-defense, whether it was right or wrong. And now Brooke and her siblings are on their own.

In a year of firsts—the first year without parents, first love, first heartbreak, and her first taste of freedom—Brooke must confront the shadow of her family’s violence and dysfunction, as she struggles to embrace her identity, finds her true place in the world, and learns how to let go.

How DO you let go of something you never had?? It is been a while since I've read a book that isn't fantasy based. Ohhhh... this book is getting spicy. Poor Brook has to take care of her and her siblings. My heart is already hurting for her. I have a strong feeling that I am going to cry... a lot... Man... I don't know if I'm ready for the feels. Especially around Thanksgiving AND Christmas. 

4. To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

First, I would like to say that I'VE SEEN THIS BOOK EVERYWHERE. Holy smokes. Everyone has been telling me to read it. Well guess what. I AM GOING TO READ IT. Alright, toning the hype down. So, this is a retelling of sorts of The Little Mermaid. Dang girl, you've killed 17 princes? Remind me to not get you mad. OHHHHHH SNAP. Sea Queen, I literally just said a sentence above to not get Lira mad. Lira is on for a hunt. So excited to read this book!

5. Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.

Every corner I turn in the YA book community, I am faced with this book. There is sooooooo much hype for this book and now I am FINALLY reading it. Fingers crossed. Oh snapples. Her brother betrayed her... or did he? So, did her brother kidnapped her? There are even more clans to fight. Who's the bad guy?! The names are so unique so far. Super curious to see what this book has. 

Overall, I am most excited to read To Kill a Kingdom. I don't think out of these five books there is one that I'm least excited for. Autumn and Winter are the perfect seasons to stay in with a cup of hot tea and read books to. Have you guys read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts on them down below! 

*Please excuse the weird font, size, and spacing in this blog post. Something happened and I tried to fix it, but I probably made it worse. LOL