KRISTEN SHULTIS
Special to The Leader
A new year means a whole list of new books. Every year there are tons of books that you hear about from people around you; recommendations such as “read this,” and “this is such a good book.” With the help of Goodreads.com, we chose five books that you may have been meaning to read and have just not had the time, or perhaps even the last in a series you have been hooked on.
1.) City of Heavenly Fire, by Cassandra Clare
You may be familiar with The Mortal Instruments Series (City of Bones, etc.) The final book is coming out on May 27, and there are many twists and turns expected. As Clare said on her website, six characters, who we know by name, will die, and there will also be two weddings in this book. This book wraps up the story of Clarissa Fairchild, who finds out she is a shadowhunter (half-angel and half-human), and her quest to keep the mortal instruments out of the wrong hands. She battles family, friends and her love for the blond troublemaker, Jace Wayland.
2.) Title TBA, by Robert Galbraith
Another book is written by an author that is well known under another famous name. In 2013 J.K Rowling quietly released a novel under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, which ironically means “familiar stranger.” This new installation in the Cormoran Strike series is the second she is writing under the now famous pseudonym. The book follows Cormoran Strike, an ex-soldier-turned-PI, who investigates murders plaguing British socialites and the British society. It is expected to be a great sequel to an already popular novel. The title has not yet been decided by the author and will be released in the future.
3.) Silver Shadows, by Richelle Mead
From the author who brought you the Vampire Academy series comes the fifth book in her best selling spinoff series called Bloodlines. The story follows Sydney Sage who is an alchemist: a rare breed of human that helps the vampires and can do some magic. She has to fight to get back everything she lost after betraying her kind for a Moroi, a type of vampire who is usually a royal, can go out in daylight for extended periods of time, and doesn’t kill. In a world where the Moroi, the protagonists of the story, lead the battle against the Strigoi, vampires who can’t go out in the sunlight, kill members of society and are just down right evil; they are typical vampire stories. How will she get back to her love? What obstacles will she face? Who will try to stop her?
4.) Trail of Shadow and Blood, by Carina King
Everyone has heard of the Grimm brothers and their own take on the fairy tales. In a new book by Carina King, King mixes the normal fairy tale creatures into a futuristic world where the queen is setting out to fight a war with the humans. Only one girl can save them; her name is Fyra. She will unleash a power on the world that hasn’t been seen by anyone in this land before.
5.) Hollow City, by Ransom Riggs
Another anticipated book just arrived on store shelves. Fans of Miss Peregrin’s Home for Peculiar Children will recognize this novel as the second in the series. It already has a lot of positive reviews and will surely gather more. The 16-year-old Jacob Portman and his friends are fleeing from an island off of Wales that they call home. The island has been bombed by people that want Jacob and his friends dead because each one of them has their own power. Jacob’s power is the ability to see the things that want to kill the peculiars (the children with superpowers). This novel incorporates the story with some interesting photography that is sure to leave the reader wondering and wanting more.