Hello Kittens! July is certainly off to an interesting start so far. How’s it going for you? I just had to send a correction email because I sent an email saying it was only the second week in June (no, it wasn’t just a typo. I literally forgot it was July). So there’s that.
In any case, today I want to talk to you about some reading goals that I have for the rest of the year related to series. I feel like I’ve either been starting or hearing about series books lately and there are so many that I want to start/finish. Reading a series is a whole different matter from picking up a stand alone novel.
You as the reader are going into the book with the knowledge that if it is good, you are committing a potential unknown quantity of your time to finishing it. Series are serious commitments for the reader. Plus, there’s always the chance that you get deeply invested into a series and then that series doesn’t get completed for some reason. As someone who likes order, I can’t tell you how sad I was that Sue Grafton passed away, and that she did so when she was one book away from finishing her Kinsey Millhone detective mysteries. Plus, let’s not forget the agony that is being a George R. R. Martin fan right now.
For today, I’m going to tell you about the series that I have either started and hope to continue with or finish this year. I’ll follow up with a post later this week of the series that I want to start before the end of this year.
Series I’ve already started (links to go to the Goodreads page for each series):
Claire LeGrand’s Empirium trilogy. I’ve already read Furyborn and have Kingsbane on my shelves right now waiting to be read. I was also lucky enough to get an e-ARC of Lightbringer, which marks the end of this trilogy and will be publishing in the Fall (hopefully). I reviewed Furyborn earlier this year and am definitely invested enough in this series to finish it off by the Fall. It’s a Young Adult Fantasy series that features elemental magic and power-hungry angels meddling in human worlds, plus two awesome female heroines.
The Invisible Library Series by Genevieve Cogman. This series currently has 6 books published, with book 7 set to publish in December and book 8 already hinted at on the author’s website (although she says it’s a long way off). I just finished book 1 as part of my July TBR and really enjoyed it. It’s an adult Fantasy series revolving around the concept of alternate worlds and the preservation of creative thought through books. So far we have a Librarian, a dragon, a Holmes-like detective, and an evil villain with enormous power and a long-standing grudge. I might be able to finish the next 5 books before the new one publishes in December since they’re not very long.
The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas. I read the first book in this series last month and liked it enough to continue on. I think this series is now complete with 7 books total (not including prequels or novellas). The books seem to get longer as you get further into the series. I’m not 100% invested in this series yet, so while I will be continuing on, I’m not going to make it a priority to get through all of the books by the end of the year. I think I’ll shoot for one additional book per month in this series. This is a YA series that follows an unwilling court assassin who is dealing with a corrupt and brutal king from within his own court. There was also a lot of hinting at Celaena’s past and the potential for it to impact the future, so I expect to see that backstory develop over the next few books.
Serpent & Dove series by Shelby Mahurin. I read the first book in the series and am keeping my fingers crossed that I get approved for the second book, Honey & Blood, on NetGalley. If I don’t get it, I might have to do something really crazy, like pre-order it or subscribe to a fandom box or something. I am deeply invested in this series and can’t wait to see what the next book holds. Originally this series was set to be a duology, but a little internet digging is turning up the information that Mahurin and her publisher have confirmed that there will be a third book. I don’t know if it will be a continuation of the original story or if we’re going to move on with new characters. This is a YA Fantasy series that follows a witch who ends up being forced to marry a witch hunter. It is equal parts romance and action and I loved the fact that the magic system demands a literal price at the time that it is used. It is the most unique magic system that I have come across in a while. I’ll definitely be finishing the next book as soon as it comes out and will be anxiously awaiting the publication of the third book.
The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. The first book in this trilogy was one of my favorite reads this year, so I will definitely be continuing on with the series and finishing it by the end of the year. I’ve heard the second and third books don’t continue the story in the traditional way, so I’ll be interested to see what kind of ending we get with the third book. This is a YA Sci-Fi book following young teens who are dealing with the fallout from a hostile takeover/attack of a planetary colony by a large and mysterious corporation.
I will also be continuing with several cozy mystery series, including: the Murder, She Wrote series currently written by Jon Land, the Book Retreat mysteries by Ellery Adams, the Meg Langslow mysteries by Donna Andrews, and the Hannah Swensen mysteries by Joanne Fluke. While I’m invested in all of these series, they are all ongoing (as far as I know) and I won’t stress about reading every single published book in the series by the end of the year. I use these as escapist books when I get into a slump or when I just need something light.
Books Dani Likes 