possibly my new favorites | 5 star predictions for 2022

by - 10:30 AM

Hello there! Happy DAY FIVE of 2021's FIVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS where I attempt to post every day until Christmas. This post is...a couple days late since it's already December 29th but my motivation become completely non-existent the minute school ended on December 23rd. That and I got an eye infection so I was basically a pirate throughout the entire holiday, love that for me. Now that both eyes have regained their seeing function and I can stare at a screen without a headache, here's the final (late) installment for this year's Christmas series.

This list was quite hard to put together since I tend to have a hard time giving books five stars but after perusing my shelves I found that there are a lot of books I've accumulated that I am very excited for and really hope they will blow me away. 

This was hands down one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I still haven't read it because I'm scared. I have this bad feeling when it comes to certain characters because despite how morally ambiguous the cast is, I adore each of them and I know they are going to through so much pain before the ending. Next year, I will get myself to read the finale but let me just be in self-denial for a bit longer.

The Astonishing Color of After is one of my favorite novels of all time so the minute I heard of Emily X.R. Pan's new release I knew I was going to love it. This is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet mixed with Chinese mythology and that paired with the author's gorgeous prose is sure to deliver an absolutely magical story. The story centers around Hunter and Luna who are both navigating their high school experience and there's a touch of magic with fireflies and supernatural winds. When a crack (physical or?) forms in their town, they have to rely on each other as everything begins fo fall apart.

the silence that binds us - joanna ho
Another author that I completely love and will read anything by, Joanna Ho's Eyes that Kiss at the Corners was the first children's book to make me want to curl up and cry because I was so emotionally happy. The story follows May who is far from the perfect Asian American daughter and when her perfect older brother commits suicide, her family is faced with racist accusations for "pressuring" their child to the point of death. Rather than keeping her head down, May turns to writing to challenge these racial stereotypes and win back her own voice. Let me just say the over-achieving first-generation Asian American in me is so excited for this book.

I'm putting the entire trilogy on this list because I'm waiting for the day where I can just binge all three books and I know it will wreck me. I have read the first book and while I liked it enough, this is one of those trilogies where I believe the hype 100%. The premise itself is so fascinating and because I read The Gilded Wolves as an ebook, I just want to dive back in the story and try it physically. There's a found family that slowly tearing at the seams with the pressures of fantastical work and the mysterious historical societies and the overarching promise of pain and tears. 

This is another one of my most anticipated releases of the year that I haven't gotten around to yet but I have started. The Bone Shard Daughter was one of my favorite reads last year and is a multiple POV fantasy story with bone magic, disappearing islands, and an adorable otter-like creature named Mephi. The magic is incredibly fascinating and each of the POV's plot lines are so unique and interesting that when the pieces start to click it's the most amazing lightbulb experience. I know without a doubt that this sequel will rank super highly on my list when I do get around to finishing and it just makes me all the more excited for the finale which is slated to be released in 2023.

the greenbone saga - fonda lee *
Another trilogy that I'm putting on this list but also one with a slight caveat because if I'm 100% honest, I don't think I have the guts to read all three books in 2022. I know without a doubt that this will destroy me just like it has everyone else and that will most likely result in a very high rating, but I'm also too scared to commit. This story has, to take it from the synopsis, intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kung fu. It's also been on my TBR since 2020 and one of my most highly anticipated books on my physical shelves. 

If 2021 has taught me anything about my reading tastes, it's that I'm slowly gravitating towards adult fantasy once again and it makes me so happy to see the genre becoming more diversified with POC authors. While the books on my list today are ones by only a small POC demographic, it definitely sparks my interest to find more fantasy reads by new authors because with all the mess that the world is at the moment, I'm in desperate need for more magical worlds to explore.

What are some of your 5-star predictions for 2022?
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4 Comments

  1. SofiaJanuary 4, 2022 at 9:36 PM

    I think you will love Jade City, it's such a good book but you are right, it will destroy you. I really need to continue with that series, but I'm also a bit scared of the pain is gonna cause me.

    I really liked The Gilded Wolves and the sequel, I hope you enjoy them too. I can't wait to read the last book.

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    1. RivJanuary 5, 2022 at 11:04 AM

      I've been putting it off for so long, I really need to pick up Jade City! Debating if I should put it off till a break or just dive in...I really enjoyed the Gilded Wolves when I read it in 2020 so I'm just waiting for the moment when I can go and binge read the entire trilogy!

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  2. Marie @ Drizzle and hurricane BooksJanuary 18, 2022 at 3:03 PM

    I really hope you'll end up falling for all of these books! I loved The Astonishing Color as well and am very excited to read An Arrow to the Moon, it sounds once again like an incredibly unique and beautifully written story. I can't wait!! :)

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    1. RivJanuary 23, 2022 at 6:12 PM

      Thank you Marie! I'm so excited for all of these!

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