This post is brought to you by goals I’m setting for my tbrs that I have no idea if I’ll actually achieve!
Remember back in my post, you know the one, Reflecting on 2021 & Goals for 2022? Yeah, that one! Remember how I said, “I’m going to ease my way back into tbrs. I’m going to make them shorter so they’re easier to manage and I won’t feel that crushing obligation to read every little thing I put on the list.” Remember when I said that?
Apparently, I lied!
When this post is going up, this the last day of 2021 and I’m typing this the day before New Year’s Eve. It’s been less than 48 hours till the new year and I have already set myself up for not only a reading challenge, but also having looked at my tbr cart with titles I still want to read, and (oh you’ll love this one!) have decided that I want to read at least 22 new releases this year. Which at this point I had descended into madness like a fallen angel, ignoring the warnings from my spouse and friends, and immediately went to NetGalley to see if I could maybe, possibly, request arcs for those said books (which to be fair, I was blessed with 5 of those books and you can read about them HERE!).
What possessed me to think this was a good idea? What have I done?
It’s fine! We all love a little madness, a little chaos, and you know, I can honestly say that I feel it’s manageable! At least, I’m 75% certain it’s achievable… IT’S FINE! Anyway, I just wanted to show a few of the 2022 releases I’m excited for and that I really want to read (and no I’m not showing all 22 books of the 22 releases I decided on) in this new year!
✨ The Woman in the Woods and Other North American Stories by Kate Ashwin ✨
“Loup Garrou, trickster rabbits, and spirits with names that can’t be spoken — the plains and forests of North America are alive with characters like these, all waiting to meet you in this collection of folklore retold in comics!
This fifth volume of the “Cautionary Fables and Fairytales” anthology series features updated takes on ancient stories from tribes spanning the continent, bursting with bedside tales that are thrilling, chilling, and most of all inspiring. Featuring the work of JORDAAN ARLEDGE, MAIJA AMBROSE PLAMONDON, MILO APPLEJOHN, and more!”
Truly, I’m really excited about this book! I love story collections, anthologies, and anything that’s a bind-up of multiple tales from various authors. I think I started falling more in love with anthologies in 2020 and with this being an Indigenous anthology, my heart might burst from excitement.
✨ Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky #2) by Rebecca Roanhorse ✨
“There are no tides more treacherous than those of the heart. — Teek saying
The great city of Tova is shattered. The sun is held within the smothering grip of the Crow God’s eclipse, but a comet that marks the death of a ruler and heralds the rise of a new order is imminent.
The Meridian: a land where magic has been codified and the worship of gods suppressed. How do you live when legends come to life, and the faith you had is rewarded?
As sea captain Xiala is swept up in the chaos and currents of change, she finds an unexpected ally in the former Priest of Knives. For the Clan Matriarchs of Tova, tense alliances form as far-flung enemies gather and the war in the heavens is reflected upon the earth.
And for Serapio and Naranpa, both now living avatars, the struggle for free will and personhood in the face of destiny rages. How will Serapio stay human when he is steeped in prophecy and surrounded by those who desire only his power? Is there a future for Naranpa in a transformed Tova without her total destruction?
Welcome back to the fantasy series of the decade in Fevered Star—book two of Between Earth and Sky.”
If you haven’t read my review for Black Sun yet, definitely check it out! I really enjoyed my time reading the first book and I’m eager to return to this world, these characters, and find out what’s going to happen next. Truly, if you’re a lover of high fantasy, you don’t want to sleep on this series!
✨ For The Thorne (Wilderwood, #2) by Hannah Whitten ✨
“The First Daughter is for the Throne
The Second Daughter is for the Wolf…
Red and the Wolf have finally contained the threat of the Old Kings but at a steep cost. Red’s beloved sister Neve, the First Daughter is lost in the Shadowlands, an inverted kingdom where the vicious gods of legend have been trapped for centuries and the Old Kings have slowly been gaining control. But Neve has an ally–though it’s one she’d rather never have to speak to again–the rogue king Solmir.
Solmir wants to bring an end to the Shadowlands and he believes helping Neve may be the key to its destruction. But to do that, they will both have to journey across a dangerous landscape in order to find a mysterious Heart Tree, and finally to claim the gods’ dark, twisted powers for themselves.”
I adored the first book (and I promise my review for that is coming very soon)! I love a good retelling, but this was a whole new twist to taking two fairytales that feel so similar and making them one. Truly, I’m excited and I’ve already pre-ordered an ebook so I can continue reading this series. Not mention, the cliffhanger we’ll be picking up on! I’m ready, I’m so ready to know what’s going to happen next!
✨ And They Lived… by Steven Salvatore ✨
“Chase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he’s plagued with the belief that he’s not enough for anyone: he’s recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can’t quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester.
Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love–and be enough for–himself, while discovering what it means to truly live.”
I love a book that I know will emotionally hit me like a ton of bricks. This book has me so read to be ripped into pieces and stitched back together. This book is supposed to have mental health rep, self-discovery, poetry, and a character who’s a hopeless romantic! Sign me up! I also want to take a moment to tag the Trigger Warning Database for the content warnings for this book, as well. You can find their content warning list HERE!
✨ The Kindred by Alechia Dow ✨
“To save a galactic kingdom from revolution, Kindred mind-pairings were created to ensure each and every person would be seen and heard, no matter how rich or poor…
Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life—apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility’s most infamous playboy brings.
Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his own future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face.
Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne…and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he’s dead, which means they’ll target Joy, too. Meeting in person for the first time as they steal a spacecraft and flee amid chaos might not be ideal…and neither is crash-landing on the strange backward planet called Earth. But hiding might just be the perfect way to discover the true strength of the Kindred bond and expose a scandal—and a love—that may decide the future of a galaxy.”
I fell in love with Alechia’s writing back in 2020 when I listened to the audiobook of The Sound of Stars. Now, seeing Alechia has a new book coming out, another sci-fi romance book, I’m so ready. Not only am I ready, but the way the author is using what the ‘kindred’ meaning as a theme for this book has my soul flying. I’m a firm believer of kindred spirits and I think I tell the people who I’m most close to how I feel a kindred spirit with them. And I know that once I have my hands on this book, it’s going to be everything. I’m going to love it to infinity and beyond, and I hope there’s so many other readers out here who are just as excited as I am for this to release (which is really soon, actually).
Oh, I’m so excited to fall in love with these releases even more!
Well, I think that about does it for this article! This very chaotic, very loving article. Honestly, I wasn’t sure which 2022 releases I was going to add and I almost decided to do ten, which would have been… a lot, to say the least. But I had so much fun making this article and sharing with everyone some of my anticipated 2022 releases. I know, it’s not everything I could have included, but I hope the amount of books on this list doesn’t stop you from enjoying it. I wanted to ended 2021 on a note of excitement, love, and chaos, apparently.
Do you have any 2022 releases you’re excited about? Come gush about your favorite 2022 releases with me or if you have a similar article you wrote, link it in the comments below! Until the new year, sending you the warmest of wishes on this New Year’s Eve! 💚
Chapter Malliumpkin 
Ah! I really want to pick up Wilderwood soon! But these are some great titles!
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I personally really enjoyed the first book in the Wilderwood series! I really liked the main character Red and how she’s almost morally grey, but not a fully morally grey character. Also, the main love interest makes me think of the actor Adam Driver, so there’s that!
Yes, I’m so excited about these titles! Do you have any 2022 releases you’re hoping to read?
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