Anticipated January 2020 Releases

All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

This is a historical fiction – and I believe romance – novel set in France that follows three separate women at three different points in time. There’s Aurelie, who falls in love with a German soldier during World War I. Daisy, who works for a forger in the resistance during World War II. And there’s also Babs, who is recently widowed and gets wrapped up in an mystery centered around her late husband during the 1960’s. The three women all find themselves drawn to the Ritz hotel which serves as the connection point between their stories. Personally I’m a sucker for anything related to France, and I’ve been in the mood to read more historical fiction lately so this absolutely looks like a book I’d love.

Release Date: January 14, 2020

Blood Countess by Lana Popović 

This is a historical horror novel based on Elizabeth Bathory, the “Blood Countess” from which the book takes its name. If you’re unaware, she was a Hungarian noblewoman. She was also a serial killer who thought that bathing in the blood of virgins would keep her eternally young. If you’re not already intrigued then I’m not sure there is anything more I can do for you. However, this book follows Anna Darvulia who becomes a scullery maid for Countess Bathory. That said, I’m almost entirely sure that Anna is being groomed to be another of the Countess’ victims but I suppose that I’ll just have to read and find out.

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Cartier’s Hope by M.J. Rose

This is another historical fiction novel. I’m starting to sense a running theme here, actually. Cartier’s Hope follows Vera Garland who is a journalist in New York during the 1910’s. Determined not to be just another lifestyle writer, she starts following the story of the Hope Diamond. If I’m being honest this definitely is out of my normal comfort zone for books. There’s no romance, no fantasy, just pure historical fiction. That said, this seems like an interesting novel about the challenges women of that time had to face. Plus, I’m a sucker for New York, especially during this time period.

Release Date: January 28, 2020

The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell

The Circus Rose is apparently a queer retelling of the German fairytale Snow-White and Rose-Red. Not to be confused with Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs. The book follows twins Rosie and Ivory, whose mother owns a travelling circus. Honestly, beyond that I’m not entirely sure what this book is about, but that was more than enough to get me interested. Plus, look at that gorgeous cover! The Circus Rose is also billed as being great for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Mackenzi Lee, who are two authors I really love. Honestly this might be my most anticipated of all these January 2020 releases.

Release Date: January 21, 2020

Update 1/6/2020: It appears publication for this has been pushed back until June of this year!

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore

Dark and Deepest Red is another queer retelling, this time with a dash of actual historical inspiration as well. This novel is based off of the Anderson fairytale The Red Shoes and the real life “dancing plague” that occurred in the 1500’s. It follows Rosella in the present who, quite unfortunately for her, gets the dancing red shoes stuck to her feet. As she works to uncover how to get them off, she discovers the story of Lavinia, who was present for the original dancing sickness back in 1518. I haven’t read one of McLemore’s books before, but I see them getting a ton of praise all the time. With this premise, I’m very excited to make this my first.

Release Date: January 14, 2020

The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler

The Look-Alike is a thriller that follows a girl named Sienna, who stumbled across a dead body one day on her way home from class. Interestingly enough though, the girl kind of resembles Sienna. And to top it all off, Sienna’s mom is paranoid and borderline fully crazy to the point where she keeps telling Sienna that there are people trying to kill her. So, Sienna leaves town for a few years to try and put it all behind her. But when she finally comes back home, she has cause to think that the killer (who of course was never found) is coming for her next. And she still has to deal with her crazy mother. This blurb has me fully hooked, plus I’ve seen a fair bit of praise for Spindler’s ability to keep you guessing until the very end which is something I love in thrillers. I’ll definitely be picking this one up right when it comes out.

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

This is one of the more unlikely contenders for my most anticipated of the January 2020 releases. Why? Because it’s a Count of Monte Cristo retelling. Now, before all my friends roll their eyes and beg me to give the original book another shot, hear me out. This book is a GENDERBENT Count of Monte Cristo retelling. Also I think I saw the author posting something about one of the main characters being a chaotic bisexual so I have no choice but to read this book. Seriously though, it follows a girl named Amaya who has been stuck on a debtor ship for a very long time. She rescues a man from the sea, who gifts her with riches and an opportunity to seek revenge which she of course accepts. I’m hoping that since this is YA the story will be much more accessible than the original classic was for me.

Release Date: January 7, 2020

Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani

Seven Deadly Shadows is a Japanese inspired YA paranormal book. It follows a girl named Kira who’s a bit of an outsider. One night her family’s shrine is attacked by a bunch of yokai demons because: surprise! The shrine actually houses an ancient artifact that the demon lord could use to end the world. So, Kira does the only correct option and enlists seven shinigami (death gods) to help her kill the demon king. Sadly, she apparently hadn’t seen Death Note before, and therefore was unaware that shinigami loyalty is about as fickle as it comes. Still, this looks like something I’m going to absolutely love and I can’t wait until its released.

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Spellhacker by M.K. England

This is another queer YA fantasy book, this time focusing on a group of friends who are smugglers. They attempt to go one one last heist, but of course everything goes terribly, horribly wrong. I don’t really know too much more about Spellhacker but that’s because I simply don’t need to. I’m such a sucker for heist books, even though I’ve been let down in the past (looking at you Gilded Wolves). Still, Spellhacker definitely looks promising and I love seeing queer representation in fantasy novels, so I’ll definitely be picking this one up when it comes out.

Release Date: January 21, 2020

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez 

OK, I take back everything I’ve said before. This book is my most anticipated of the January 2020 releases you see here. Though that’s most likely because I’ve already gotten to read the the first two chapters thanks to the lovely folks over at Bookish First. This follows a girl named Ximena who is a stand in for the real Condesa of the Illustrian people. She also has the ability to weave moonlight into tapestries. The Illustrians have been driven from their home by a man who now wants the Condesa’s hand in marriage. Ximena agrees and attempts to take down the usurpers from the inside. The first two chapters were so beautifully written and full of lush descriptions, I’m so excited for the full novel to come out soon! If you need any more reason to pick up this book, just take a look at that gorgeous cover.

Release Date: January 7, 2020