Fun fact: the size of a reader's anticipated releases list is directly proportional to their time spent reading. The more books you chomp away at, the bigger it gets.

 I don't make the rules. It's just how it is.

 As part of The Great And Terrible TBR, the list of anticipated books coming out in the year ahead grows when you stare at it and grows when you don't. You're sure one of the two is worse, but you aren't sure which. Last year you had 5 books you were eagerly waiting for. This year it's 25. And as for the next...

 ... let's think about that tomorrow, shall we? As for now, we're sharing our list of our most *GRABBY HANDS* reads due to come out this year, and sneaking in the terrible things we'd do for the ARC ahead of time.

 (Just in case some publishers in dire need of a mafiosi duo are listening.)
1. A Court of Wings And Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Picked by: both
Release date: May 2nd 2017

Just in case we haven't made clear what an awesome little crumpet of joy and importance A Court Of Mist and Fury was - FEEEEEEL OUR NEED FOR THE FINAL BOOK! FEEL IT CONSUME YOUR SOUL AND EAT YOUR HEART AND WEAR YOUR PELT AS A CAPE! Because... that's where we are right now. And if that description was at all gory and ominous and downright foreboding - so is the fear of what said sequel might contain. We coordinate like that. And in an effort not to spoil the previous books in the series, that's all that can really be said about it. (IT WILL DESTROY YOU! WELCOME ABOARD!)

2. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Picked by: Lexie
Release date: March 28th 2017

It's now officially been ACTUAL, LITERAL ages since Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series ended. But HAVE I ALLOWED THAT TO STOP ME FROM PROCLAIMING MY UNDYING LOVE OF LAINI AND PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE TO HER FUTURE WORK? Haaardly. I consider any time not admiring Laini to be time wasted, and so here we are. Not only does Strange The Dreamer look and sound exactly as beautiful, poetic, multicultural and MAD as one might expect from Laini, it's also a fantasy duology featuring a clumsy bookworm librarian set in a place called Weep. Excuse me while I weep... for an ARC. (I am not ashamed of that pun. Glad you asked.)

3. By Your Side by Kasie West

Picked by: Natalie
Release date: January 31st 2017

Well, first off - it's a Kasie West book. Secondly, it's set in a library. Thirdly, it's a Kasie West book. Wait, did I already say that? I will always read her books. They're like crack -once I read one, I've had to read them all! It's an instant mood-lifter for me, I devour them in one sitting and they're just... so darn cute! I will admit, I've seen some mixed reviews from readers who got ARCs of this one, but I'll try it out for myself.  If you're not sure what this one is about, it's about a girl and a boy who are locked inside a library, which, to be fair, I would be alright with. An excuse to read all night and not write anything for university! I'm sure there is a fire exit somewhere but, y'know, books...

4. Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Picked by: Lexie
Release date: January 31st 2017

How To Win My Heart: A Practical Guide
Step 1: Draw a constant comparison to The Night Circus from lucky, evil early readers.
Step 2: Amass a plethora of NOTHING IN 2017 WILL TOP THIS BOOK reactions from said readers.
Step 3: Be unapologetically weird in your synopsis and promise to be just as much so in the actual book.
Step 4: Fantasy + circus + sibling love!
Step 5: Repeat. (Because, seriously, I could go for about a dozen more of these.)


5. The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

Picked by: Natalie
Release date: 14th February 2017

You can't see a book about a women gladiator and not want to read it. How epic, bad-ass and super awesome does this sound? I mean, I can see her being some kind of warrior-Aelin who won't be taking any crap from people, and I hope it's everything I'm envisioning it to be.
I've not seen many reviews for this book, one but the ones I have seen are very positive. The synopsis sounds amazing and I hope it's full of revenge and girl-power because YES. Lately I've felt like that a lot of books that I picked up are quite similar, so it'll be fantastic to see something new like a gladiator-type book. Cannot wait to read this!

6. The Illuminae Files #3 by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Picked by: Lexie
Release date: October 2017 (but be honest, you know it'll be November/December)

Oh, don't mind me, I'm just sitting here, twiddling my thumbs and plotting theft and chicanery in order to get my hands on this book. Because while it may have been stuck right into the middle of this list, it's one I'd probably do the most nefarious things for. But alas! The Illuminae Files are as uniquely formatted as they are plotted, and they should only ever be read in physical form. So even after the ABSOLUTE GLORIOUSNESS that the first two in the series were, we're stuck here without even a solid hope of an e-ARC. It just isn't the same without having to a giant, brightly-colored murder-weapon-of-a-hardover 360 degrees in midair in a public place and raise every eyebrow in the room, let's just say.

7. Untitled by Sarah J. Maas

Picked by: Natalie
Release date: 5th September 2017

Naturally, the last Throne of Glass book is going in this list. I mean, we have to know what happens in the final book after all of those years, the action and sass, the blood and tears. The anticipation for this book is huge, and it's obviously going to be a big-ass book because, well,  it's by Sarah J. Maas! I'm just hoping she doesn't pull a Veronica Roth or starts slaughtering all the characters because then I'd end up depressed and eating my weight in ice cream. Especially if she harms my Rowan because he is my darling boy! (Yeah, same goes for Rhysand, Sarah, please don't hurt them). Bring on September!
Also: title and book cover soon? *waits impatiently*




8. Fall Boys & Dizzy In Paradise by Jandy Nelson

Picked by: Lexie
Release date: 2017 (but be honest, you know it'll be 2018)

(Look at Lexie, pretending to have a diversified genre list by sneaking a single contemporary halfway into it.) Jandy Nelson is a weird human of weirdness, and therefore obviously one of my favorite writerly humans overall. Her (female) protagonists are named Lenon, her (twin) protagonists are Noah-and-Jude, hyphens and all. Parts of her books are poetry, parts of her books are set in a different timeline, parts of her books are gumwrappers, and all of her books are delightful, unique and important. I was always going to develop a crush on the kind of writing that describes art so vividly that it makes it tangible. But it's just my own good fortune that said writing comes in a consistently amazing package. So, no, Fall Boys & Dizzy In Paradise doesn't have a specific release date or a synopsis. But (a) it's Jandy Nelson, and (b) LOOK AT THAT TITLE.



9. The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles

Picked by: Natalie
Release date: 31st January 2017

I hate to say this but I heard about this from Booktube. I hate saying this because I've had bad experience with the books they recommend, mostly because they pretty much get pushed to promote the same exact titles across the board (and that discussion is for another post), but I might give this one a go. It sounds interesting, and with a title like that, it sounds pretty contemporary-ish, but it's surprisingly not. It's supposed to be mysterious and it features a girl and her brother being rescued by a bounty hunter called X. Hmmm, with a name like that, I'm already intrigued by them! I guess we shall see how this one goes!

10. Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Picked by: Lexie
Release date: March 14th 2017

True story: I am about as unbiased about Beauty And The Beast as an author is about their own book. Granted, BaTB isn't my brainchild in any sense of the word, BUT IT MIGHT AS WELL BE. ITS ORIGINAL AUTHOR CLEARLY PLAGIARIZED MY SOUL. So with that in mind, a BaTB retelling was always going to make the cut, and always has in the past. Because not only do I love BaTB - I am also very much not a purist when it comes to it. I loved every retelling I've come across so far (YES, EVEN CRUEL BEAUTY!), and Hunted is no different. Because, yes, I may or may not have read it already. And it may or may not have stolen my heart and locked it in a decrepit castle. As you do in BaTB. It's okay, though. I have it on good authority that said castle contains a library. I'm all good.





Go ahead, book dragons (and humans alike) - ADD TO OUR PRECARIOUSLY TILTED TBR PILES OF PISA. Let us know what your most anticipated 2017 releases are in the comments below, and YOU'RE WELCOME FOR ANY ADDITION TO YOURS in turn. We're just ever so kind, and not at all secretly conspiring with your TBRs to kill you in your sleep. #peaceandlove No one ever said bookish life came devoid of any danger.