Books to look Forward to

City of Heavenly FireCity of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

I’m having mixed feelings about this one, mostly because I haven’t read City of Lost Souls yet.  Cassandra Clare’s writing has improved with time, but it will be interesting to see how she can end a series.  The tentative release date for this, according to the official site is September 2014, so I’ll have plenty of time to catch up.

Clockwork PrincessClockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

This is one of the few Cassandra Clare series I’m actually caught up in and I can’t wait for the last book, Clockwork Princess.  After the tragic discovery at the end of Clockwork Prince, it will be interesting to see who Tess chooses and where Cassandra Clare decides to end the series.  This one releases March 19, 2013.

The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare

Is this woman human?  Well, obviously not at the rate she writes.  Although it’s very tentative, The Dark Artifices is another series set in the modern day about Shadowhunters.  This time it’s in Los Angeles, but Cassandra Clare dropped hints in a very spoilery interview that City of Heavenly Fire will change the world of Shadowhunting forever.  So far all we know about The Dark Artifices series is that it follows Emma Carstairs, the most skilled Shadowhunter since Jace Wayland, and her partner Julian Blackthorn.  Of course the two will have conflicted feelings, but it will be interesting to see how Cassandra Clare handles a protagonist who is very strong from the start.  Clary herself went through a huge character arc to become a strong protagonist, but it sounds like Emma is already strong.  Interesting, no?

Shattered Secrets by Krystal Wade

Abigail Nichols must decide if she trusts the boy she loves, a book that knows more about her than she does, or her instincts, because if she doesn’t, her world just might shatter.

After such a great finish to her Darkness Falls trilogy, I can’t wait for the latest Krystal Wade book.  Unfortunately, there’s not even a tentative release date, just this awesome word counter on her website.  Knowing how fast she writes, I think we can look forward to another Krystal Wade book in the new year.

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

Other than a mention on Wikipedia and a page on Goodreads, there’s not much to go on.  We know it’s going to be the fifth book in The Cousin’s War series and it’s going to be about Elizabeth of York, daughter of Elizabeth Woodville.  She was mother of King Henry VIII, which means she was obviously overshadowed by her son.  Who was she?  What were her motivations?  What was her relationship with Henry VII like?  I guess we’ll just have to wait!

Taking a Break

Right now I really have nothing to say.  I’ve been prepping for a class (only 2 periods, but still) I was asked to teach at the local school, so I obviously haven’t gotten any reading done.  I’ll be back posting tomorrow but right now I’m too busy working and avoiding the internet and television.

In case any of you were wondering, I’ve been asked to come in for two classes and teach the kids a bit about ancient Egypt.  It’s their current Social Studies unit and I’m the local ‘expert’ (read: enthusiastic amateur) on ancient Egypt.  We’ll see how it turns out.

A Big Thank You to the Following Authors

Not only is it you guys, my readers, that make blogging possible, it’s the wonderful authors I interact with.  I must admit that not every author has been the most pleasant person I’ve ever worked with, but they were definitely anomalies.  All the same, there are some amazing authors who have left big impressions on me because of their kindness, which is why I would like to thank the following people:

Andy Szpuk, Andrew Levkoff, Matt Myklusch, Tara West, Krystal Wade, John Heldt, Zeinab Alayan, Michelle Hansen, Steve Poling, Marcus Matherne and Henry Venmore-Rowland.

If I’ve left any people out it’s definitely my own fault and is more of a reflection of my poor memory than of anything else.  But a thanks like that is very generic, which is why I want to thank every one individually:

Andy Szpuk: Thanks so much for asking me to review your book.  It has now finally returned from my father and my uncle and they both loved it, which is a huge achievement since they’re both more critical than I am.

Andrew Levkoff: Thank you for the amazing interview and for being the first author I actually ‘knew’ whose book I reviewed.

Matt Myklusch: I can’t thank you enough for sending along  free signed copies of the last two books in your trilogy.  Thank you for paying the shipping to Canada and for the great interview.

Tara West: Thanks for being so cooperative and taking the time and money to send me a physical copy of your book.  I can’t wait to do a giveaway with you next year!

Krystal Wade: Well, what can I say?  I’m glad you contacted me after seeing my review and agreeing to not only do two interviews with me, but to give me access to bonus content for your upcoming books.  You’re still cruel for torturing me about Wilde’s Meadow, though.

John Heldt: Thank you for contacting me to review your first book and now the second book in your trilogy!  I admit that I really did have my doubts when I saw the time travel premise, but you pulled it off so well.

Zeinab Alayan: Thank you for everything!  The giveaway, the interview, for contacting me to review your book in the first place…I would have missed out on an amazing book if you hadn’t.

Michelle Hansen: You had the courage to contact a reviewer like me about my good review of your book and I really admire you for taking that chance.  Thank you for helping me host my first-ever giveaway and for doing such an amazing interview.

Steve Poling: Where do I start?  Thanks for doing an interview and being so generous when it came to handing out prizes for your giveaway.  I look forward to reading your work in the future.

Marcus Matherne: Thank you for brightening my day with My Status Update Journey!  Not many books can make me smile so much, but yours did and I hope it gets the attention it deserves online.

Henry Venmore-Rowland: Thank you for not judging me for my stupidity when I asked you about Septimius Severus when you had actually written about Aulus Caecina Severus.  Yes, I know, two completely different people.  After I sounded like a complete moron you still agreed to an interview and I’m very grateful for that.  Maybe I’ll find time to read your book soon!

So here’s a big thank you to everyone!  Thank you for making my book reviewing experience awesome and for making all of the hard work worth it.

What would you like to see in the new year?

2013 is almost upon us, which is a really scary thought.  In the new year I’m going to be doing an ‘origins’ post on my blog’s one year anniversary (January 13), but I really have no new ideas for the new year.  That’s where you guys come in.  You’re the ones that keep me blogging, so what would you like to see different?  Just take a few seconds of your time to click on your choice in the poll and maybe leave a comment explaining your choice.  After all, there’s always room for improvement and you’re the ones that keep The Mad Reviewer going.