A few weeks ago, I admitted to four of the books by my favourite authors that, while I own a copy, and in some cases have done for months, or even years, haven’t actually gotten around to reading. It’s not because I don’t want to read them, certainly. In some of these cases, I’m actually super, super excited to get to them. Some of these are sequels to series I’m already highly invested in, and some are new offerings from authors I’ve read previously and loved immensely. There is no discernible reason for why these books have not been read yet, though I am exceedingly accomplished at procrastinating on things that I actually enjoy, so that might also play a significant part here.
Anyway, that list (which you can catch up on by clicking HERE if you haven’t read it yet) was only a taste of the books currently languishing on my shelves, waiting for their moment in the sun. Today, in the spirit of bookish honesty, I’m present to you four more books by my all-time favourite authors that I’m still getting around to reading. It will happen one of these days. Any time now. Just working my way up to it…
Heartless | Marissa Meyer
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.
Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles is one of the best fairytale retelling series I have ever read. The characters are interesting, well rounded and unique, the setting is intriguing, and it puts some interesting twists on the familiar fairytales it’s adapting. I’m actually in the middle of rereading that series now. Winter is a bit daunting at over double the size of Cinder, but I’m working my way through it slowly.
With The Lunar Chronicles being so amazing, and such a favourite of mine, you would think that I wold have absolutely gobbled up Heartless. After all, Alice In Wonderland retellings are absolutely my jam. They have such potential to be wacky and twisted in weird and wonderful ways. So this book is right up my alley. While I realise that this is more of a prequel to the classic Alice tale, I’m still excited to see what sort of new twist Marissa Meyer can put on the familiar story.
Truel1f3 | Jay Kristoff
Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you’re on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves–and each other–was too much for their friendship to take. But with the country on the brink of a new world war–this time between the BioMaas swarm at CityHive and Daedalus’s army at Megopolis, loyalties will be pushed to the brink, unlikely alliances will form and with them, betrayals. But the threat doesn’t stop there, because the lifelikes are determined to access the program that will set every robot free, a task requiring both Eve and Ana, the girl she was created to replace. In the end, violent clashes and heartbreaking choices reveal the true heroes . . . and they may not be who you think they are.
Ok, so I tried really hard, and I couldn’t come up with any plausible reason for why I haven’t read this book yet. The first two books in the Lifel1k3 series are exceptional. They’re funny, witting, fact paced, and blend together inspiration from a bunch of different places, like Mad Max, Romeo and Juliet and more. Out of all the dystopians I’ve read, these are absolutely some of the best They’re the sort of books where you could literally read a whole novel about one of the side characters and still be absolutely hooked.
Truel1f3 is the last book in the series, and I know that it’s going to be absolutely amazing. Knowing Jay Kristoff, my heartstrings are absolutely not going to survive this book if he decides to add in a twist or two there. I’ve procrastinated reading Truel1f3 for nearly a year now, but I may put it off for just a little bit longer. Just long enough to read through the first two books again, catch myself up on where we were in the series, so that I can fully appreciate the final instalment. I’m not ready for it to be over, that’s the truth here.
The Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.
Erin Morgenstern’s first book The Night Circus is an absolutely brilliant novel. I took my sweet time getting around to reading that one too, but it was such a beautiful experience once I did finally crack open the cover. The Night Circus is filled with magic, romance, and the most beautiful and evocative writing I’ve read in a long time. I’m almost ashamed that it took me so long to try it, especially considering how many times people told me I needed to read it.
I’ve heard that The Starless Sea is another brilliant offering. This time, however, it’s all about libraries, and stories. Which of course, you know grabbed me right away. I’ve got a real soft spot for books that are basically love letters to reading and stories. I already suspect that The Starless Sea is going to capture my heart and take me on a beautiful, magical adventure. And I am so ready to be sucked into a world every bit as brilliant and imaginative as that of The Night Circus.
The Other Side Of The Sky | Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate engines, powered by technology. Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the Surface, responsible for providing answers, direction—hope.
North’s and Nimh’s lives are entwined—though their hearts can never be. Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose between saving their people or succumbing to the bond that is forbidden between them.
I’ve read several books by the amazing author duo of Ami Kaufman and Meagan Spooner before. Their Unearthed duopoly was a fun space Indiana Jones type adventure, while my personal favourite was their Starbound series. I binged all three of those in less than 48 hours, that’s how much I enjoyed those books. Even the romances, which aren’t always my favourite things, melted my cold, judgmental heart.
So of course, when I discovered that they had written another book together, of course I bought it immediately. I missed the announcement of its release and just stumbled over it on a shelf one day, and it made its way into the stack I was buying immediately. The Other Side Of The Sky sounds like an amazing mix between fantasy and sci-fi, and I am such a sucker for a struggle between duty and love. Something tells me that this is going to be another brilliant book by two of my favourite authors.
Have you read any of these? Are any of them on your reading stacks too? What books by your favourite authors are you still procrastinating reading? Let’s chat down in the comments!
