Release Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me - The New Republic book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Watch Me, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Rosabelle Wolff had a plan. Now she wants revenge. To save her sister she needs to get back home and destroy the system that created her. Rosabelle’s greatest strength is her ability to deaden her mind and body; it’s the only way to survive the surveillance state of Ark Island. But lately her heart has been beating harder; her thoughts are spiraling; her defenses are coming undone.

And there’s only one person to blame.

James Anderson had a plan. Now he has nothing but problems. Rosabelle might be the ally they need in a fight against The Reestablishment, but no one wants to trust an enemy assassin. It doesn’t help that Rosabelle’s not much of a talker, doesn’t work well in groups, and kills people on instinct. Taking her side has cost James nearly everything—but keeping her alive might help save his world.

If only he could convince his older brother.

Aaron Warner Anderson has a headache. Something dark is coming, and Rosabelle’s arrival is just a prelude. In her, he sees shades of himself he can’t trust, and he can no longer get a read on the girl. She’s a dead battery, emanating no emotional feedback. At least not until James walks into a room…

Volcanic tension, breathless reveals, breakneck action—and a dystopian world that never stops raising the

Welcome back to The New Republic.” - taken from Goodreads.

Without giving too much away, the action in this book picks up immediately following book one. Told from James, Rosabelle, and Warner’s points of view, the story continues to flow nonstop up until that unexpected ending that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next book.

Book 3 is due in 2027.

Visit Tahereh Mafi's website.

Coldwire by Chloe Gong (Strange Loom book 1)

“The future is loading…

To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives “upcountry” in glistening virtual reality, while those who can’t afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling “downcountry.”

But upcountry isn’t perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua—and no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Either serve as a soldier or risk being labelled a spy.

Eirale graduated the academy and joined NileCorp’s private forces downcountry, exactly as she was supposed to. Then Atahua’s most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official, and she’s given a choice: cooperate with him to search for a dangerous program in Medaluo or go down for treason.

Meanwhile, Lia is finishing her last year upcountry at Nile Military Academy. Paired with her academic nemesis for their final assignment, Lia is determined to beat him for valedictorian and prove her worth. But there may be far more at stake when their task to infiltrate Medaluo and track down an Atahuan traitor goes wrong…

Though Eirale and Lia tear through Medaluo on different planes of reality, the two start to suspect they are puzzle pieces in a larger conspiracy—and the closer they get to the truth, the closer their worlds come to a shattering collision.” - taken from Goodreads.

Lia Ward is getting ready to graduate from NileCorp’s Academy. She is the adopted daughter of senator Henry Sullivan, who it turns out is harboring secrets of his own. Her first assignment comes before graduation and she is paired with Kieran Murray, the headmaster's son and her academic rival. This is a strange turn of events since no one in the past has been given a post prior to graduation nor are they paired up with a partner. Eirale Ward is on an assignment to capture government anarchist Nik Grant in order to stop further uprising in the country. Grant always escapes capture until he frames Eirale for murder and holds her hostage until she can help him track down a particular program.

In a world where the lines between real life and virtual reality constantly blur, can Lia and Eirale complete their assignments without incidents before their worlds unexpectedly collide. Even though this book starts off slow and has lots of details in the complex world building, readers will be left in shock at the ending of the first book.

Book 2 is TBA.

Visit Chloe Gong’s website.

Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me: the New Republic book 1)

SPOILER ALERT! This book is a continuation of the Shatter Me series. Readers will be a bit lost if they haven’t read the earlier books.

“James Anderson had a plan. Or half of one. All that matters is that he managed to do what his older brother, the famous Aaron Warner Anderson, never did: infiltrate Ark Island, the last refuge of The Reestablishment. In the past decade no outsider has breached the stronghold of the authoritarian regime, but James is in. In a prison cell, sure, but as far as James is concerned, a win is a win.

It’s been ten years since the fall of The Reestablishment. Ten years since the notorious duo — Juliette Ferrars and Aaron Warner Anderson — led a worldwide rebellion and established the New Republic of the West. But after a decade of unsettling quiet, The Reestablishment is ready to make a devastating move, and they have the perfect person for the job.

Rosabelle Wolff had a plan. She always has a plan. On Ark Island, where constant surveillance is packaged as security, even emotions must be experienced with caution. A trained assassin, her every movement is monitored by synthetic intelligence—and when she’s given an order to kill, she never hesitates.” - taken from Goodreads.

It was so good to be back in the world of Shatter Me. Ten years have passed and Warner and Adam’s little brother, James is the star of this series. With the Reestablishment having one surviving foothold left, James is determined to gather intel for his older brother, even though he has to go against Warner’s wishes. Unfortunately, James doesn’t expect what he uncovers. With that cliffhanger ending, fans will be eagerly awaiting the next book in this installment. Fans of the previous series will be glad to see that the previous characters that active roles in the new series, not just brief mentions.

Book two is TBD.

Visit Tahereh Mafi’s website.

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater (Dreamer trilogy book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Call Down the Hawk, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher of the first book.

“Something is happening to the source of the dreamers' power. It is blocked. Diminished. Weak. If it goes away entirely, what will happen to the dreamers and those who depend on them?

Ronan Lynch isn't planning to wait and find out. Backed by his mentor, Bryde, he is ready to do what needs to be done to save the dreamers and the dreamed . . . even if it takes him far from his family and the boy he loves.

Jordan Hennessy knows she will not survive if the dreaming fails. So she plunges into a dark underworld in order to find an object that may sustain her.

Carmen Farooq-Lane is afraid of the dreamers -- which is why she's agreed to hunt them down. The closer she gets, though, the more complicated her feelings become. Will the dreamers destroy the world . . . or will the world be destroyed trying to eliminate the dreamers?”- taken from Goodreads.com

This is the book where we get to dive deeper into the character of Ronan Lynch and his dreamer abilities. We also get to learn more about the other Lynch borthers, Declan and Matthew, and how the dreamer curse affects the family. Jordan and Hennessy have become tangled into the lives of the brothers Lynch. I did not know where Ronan’s journey was leading him until that cliffhanger ending. I am so glad that I waited to read this book just before the epic conclusion is published. 

The story concludes with Greywaren, on Oct. 18, 2022.

Visit Maggie Stiefvater’s website.