Angel Reads

21 Jan

2021 Releases You Should Be Hyped For

Posted by angelreads Guest Post No Comments

Hello, it’ Ely from Earl Grey Books here with my first guest post of the year! As always, 2021 is a year filled with amazing new book releases and I’m here today to share with you someones that you might have missed but should be excited for. So without further ado…

When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris
This one is already out so you really have no excuse for not buying it—I have this one on it’s way to me now. This follows a black teenager named Jay Murphy whose older sister, Nicole, has gone missing and he is determined to find her and bring her home. You just know this is going to be heartbreaking but completely stunning just like Nic Stone and Angie Thomas. This is also Pamela N. Harris’ debut if you’re looking to join in with the Debut Authors Challenge this year!

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
I’ve been doing my best to try and hype this one up lately, so if you follow me on my blog, you’re probably going to get sick of this one pretty quickly. This is a Great Gatsby retelling but with a twist—it follows Jordan Baker instead of Gatsby or Nick, but it’s fantasy and has queer and Asian rep. I’m a complete sucker for another Great Gatsby related, and then add to the fact that Nghi Vo is an incredibly talented writer and there’s a high chance this will be one of the best books in 2021.

In Deeper Waters by F.K Lutens
I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about this one. It’s out in April, but it’s being pitched as Gentlemen’s Guide meets Pirates of the Caribbean. That’s right, it’s literally gay pirates. Am I the only one intensely excited about that? It sounds like it’s just going to be a good fun romp, and honestly, I think we all deserve that in 2021.

The Ones We’re Meant To Find by Joan He
This is being pitched as a sci-fi We Were Liars, which already has me intrigued. And then the next line says, Lost with a satisfying resolution. Firstly, uh zing? And secondly, that sounds exactly like the kind of thing I desperately need in my life. The author is also saying that this is a 9/10 on the sob scale, and if you know me, then you know that it’s right up my alley.

The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell
I couldn’t put a historical romance onto this list—it would just be too off-brand for both Angel and I. The Duke Undone is probably my most anticipated, non-series continuation romance of the year—it follows Lucy who is an artist who paints the figure of a naked man she finds on the street, only that man turns out to be a Duke. Um, yes, yes, yes, yes. Give it to me now.

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne

Rounding up this post with another one that is already out. This is being pitched as ‘a novel-in-verse about a young girl coming-of-age and stepping out of the shadow of her former best friend’. I don’t know about you, but I love a good novel-in-verse and I’ve heard literally no one talk about this. Goodreads also says this is perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, so I’m prepared for some tears with one.

And that’s the list. Have I convinced any of you to add these to your list? What books are you most excited for this year?

19 Jan

The 2020 Books I Meant to Read But Didn’t Get To

Posted by angelreads Top Ten Tuesday 5 Comments

This week I’m sharing the 2020 books that I meant to get to last year and didn’t. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

There are always so many books coming out and last year was a little crazy. I didn’t purchase my normal amount of books and I missed a whole lot of new releases and that is what today’s list is. These are the books that I planned to read in 2020, but just didn’t get to.

There is a mix of YA and Romance ones here, but mostly YA. I think the main reason for this is because I mostly purchase my romance on ebooks predominately. While everything else I mostly get physical books.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin #1) by Roseanne A. Brown | Legendborn (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn | Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall | The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2) by Shelby Mahurin | The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller | None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney

Dear Justyce (Dear Martin #2) by Nic Stone | The Extraordinaries (The Extraordinaries #1) by T.J. Klune

And that is it for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday and the books that I meant to read in 2020. I hope that I can get to them this year.

17 Jan

Buddy Read Picks With Ely | Part 1

Posted by angelreads Buddy Read, Discussions No Comments

In 2020 Ely and I started to do more and more buddy reads and when we finish we have some great discussion about the book. You can check out the ones posted on Angel Reads as well as Earl Grey Books now. And we had so much fun last year that we decided to do it again this year.

So today we are sharing our thoughts before we jump into the first 3 books of the year that we have pickled. But first Ely what are you most looking forward to this year with our buddy reads?

Ely: That is such a hard question. I’m excited to be doing our buddy reads and discussions again this year. We always have so much fun doing them, so definitely excited in general. I think we’ve got a really great line-up for the first three months as well. I really don’t think I could pick one that I’m most excited about to read. What about you?

A: I have to agree with you there, I like that we’ve got a good range of genres. It’s everything that we both enjoy so much and that is what I love being able to buddy read with you. There are times where we do read the same book and adore it, but read it at different times so our feelings are always different. But I think we are just going to have a great time with all of them.

The Midnight Lie (The Midnight Lie #1) by Marie Rutkoski

A: So for the first month of 2021 we have picked one that we have both had for a little while now. The Winner’s trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy series of all time, I love everything about it. So The Midnight Lie was an auto buy for me. And now I’m so excited that I can read it with you as well. How are you feeling about this one?

E: Well, I feel like we should mention that we were meant to read The Midnight Lie as our November pick, and then our December…and well, obviously neither of those happened so this has been a long time coming. I also consider the Winner’s trilogy to be one of my all-time favourites, so I’m beyond excited to try this one.

A: Okay, okay I’m sorry that I kept on pushing it back but we are getting to it now! I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews about it, but for the most part, they have been positive. I think I’m just ready for some good young adult fantasy. Something I know I haven’t read in a while. What are you most excited about?

E: I’m pretty sure December was my fault, but either way! I’m also just hoping for a really great YA fantasy. I just need something like that this month. I honestly don’t remember much as to what this one is about, apart from the fact there’s some LGBTQ+ representation. That’s kind of a theme with our reads this year, have you noticed that?

A: Ohh yes, we didn’t even plan it that way. But anyway I am super excited to pick this one up in the coming weeks.

Never Seduce a Scoundrel (School For Heiresses #1) by Sabrina Jeffries

A: Now I know this one that we are both super excited for. We’ve both read Sabrina Jeffries before. We’ve read some of the same books, but also we’ve also read some different ones. So I think we both have a good grasp of her. But I’m super excited to start this series and I don’t think there is any better way than reading it with you.

E: I’ve been holding out for this one for ages. After having loved the Royal Brotherhood series, I’ve been desperate to get to this one and to see what it’s all about. I’m sure we’ll end up reading the rest of the series very soon after we finish this first book because that’s just who we are as people.

A: Oh absolutely! I tend to binge romance series, especially historical romance ones. Lucky I have them all so I don’t need to wait. I’m really excited to see where these characters are taken in this story. Most of the series is all new to both of us. And while it’s connected with the Royal Brotherhood series, I can’t wait to see these new characters. What are you most looking forward to with this book and series?

E: I think for me it’s knowing that we’re in good hands. Sabrina Jeffries didn’t let me down with the Royal Brotherhood series, so I feel like it’s probably a given that these are going to be good too. I’m excited about some new characters and to discover how it connects to the previous series. How about you?

A: I’m really excited about that connection as well. I have read two of her series now, the Royal Brotherhood and her current series. So I’m intrigued to see where this one stands with then.

The Extraordinaries (The Extraordinaries #1) by T.J. Klune

A: If you have read any of my posts this year or follow me on social media, you know how much I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. I grabbed this book so fast when it came out. And I thought it would be the perfect book to buddy read with Ely. As someone who hasn’t picked up a book from Klune yet, how are you feeling about this one?

E: Well, just want to quickly mention I’ll be reading The House in the Cerulean Sea because of Angel this year as well, but more on that later. So basically, it’s going to be a Klune heavy year for me and I’m very excited. But most of the reason I’m excited about this right now is because of the disability representation in here. You should all know by now how important that is to both of us, so I’m happy we’re reading and discussing this together.

A: I have to agree. I’m so excited to see how it’s explored in this one. Klune has been great on his representation in other books he has written, so that makes me super happy. I think it’s also going to be one of those books that are just going to be fun. It’s something different to what we both read – especially as it deals with superheroes, but that makes me more intrigued. How about you?

E: Superheroes is definitely out of my usual realm for books. Obviously, we’re both big Marvel fans, but I don’t know I’ve read anything about superheroes outside of the few comics I’ve tried. I’m excited to give it a go and see how I feel about it.

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Well those are the first few books that we are planning to read in the coming months as our buddy reads. Are there any books that you guys would love for us to buddy read? Have you read any of these books? Let’s Chat!