My 5 Star TBR Predictions: Round 2

So a long time ago, I originally posted my first edition of 5 star predictions for books on my TBR. It was a lot of fun and for the most part, I really enjoyed the books that I’ve read on the list since then. And since I haven’t posted a follow up to that post from 2017, I think it’s time to dive back into that and examine some of the books on my current TBR. For the sake or my sanity and yours, I’m only going to choose books that I already own or have preordered since there’s so many books out there that I’m sure I’ll end up loving when I get to them.

Previous Post:

• My 5 Star TBR Predictions

---

Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1) by Fonda Lee

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for — and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon’s bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone — even foreigners — wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones — from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets — and of Kekon itself.

Jade City is the first novel in an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.

Ummm, how can you read that synopsis and not be immediately intrigued by it?! This book sounds like it hits all of my buttons – interesting magic system, dark fantasy, loyal families, etc. I’m pretty sure that this book will kill me and then bring me back to life many times before I finish it.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

I’ll be honest, Samantha Shannon is pretty much an auto-buy author for me. I love her worldbuilding and characters so much. Plus, this book just sounds so amazing and it includes DRAGONS. Sign me up!! Now if we can just get the next book in The Bone Season series released…

 The Last Magician (The Last Magician, #1) by Lisa Maxwell

Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.

In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.

Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.

But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.

I’m a sucker fantasy and when you mix that with alternate history, that just sounds like the perfect blend for a fun story. I love the sound of a dark fantasy turn of the century New York that is full of secret societies. I want some epic fighting and intrigue going on here!

The Oracle Year by Charles Soule

Knowledge is power. So when an unassuming Manhattan bassist named Will Dando awakens from a dream one morning with 108 predictions about the future in his head, he rapidly finds himself the most powerful man in the world. Protecting his anonymity by calling himself the Oracle, he sets up a heavily guarded Web site with the help of his friend Hamza to selectively announce his revelations. In no time, global corporations are offering him millions for exclusive access, eager to profit from his prophecies.

He’s also making a lot of high-powered enemies, from the President of the United States and a nationally prominent televangelist to a warlord with a nuclear missile and an assassin grandmother. Legions of cyber spies are unleashed to hack the Site—as it’s come to be called—and the best manhunters money can buy are deployed not only to unmask the Oracle but to take him out of the game entirely. With only a handful of people he can trust—including a beautiful journalist—it’s all Will can do just to survive, elude exposure, and protect those he loves long enough to use his knowledge to save the world.

Delivering fast-paced adventure on a global scale as well as sharp-witted satire on our concepts of power and faith, Marvel writer Charles Soule’s audacious debut novel takes readers on a rollicking ride where it’s impossible to predict what will happen next.

This book sounds so fast-paced and interesting. I love the concept of a present day Nostradamus who is turned on by governments and powerful people. I can actually imagine how crazy it would be to know I had this power that could change every single life on this planet.

Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #1) by Mary E. Pearson

A new novel in the New York Times–bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty’s resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.

I absolutely loved The Remnant Chronicles series and so when I heard that Pearson’s newest book was going to be set in the same universe, I got extremely excited. I loved that the writing got better with each book and that gives me a lot of hope for this one. Also, I love when a story is told by characters on opposite sides. Plus I’m getting major enemies-to-lovers vibes from this synopsis and I am so here for that.

---

What are some books on your TBR that you’re positive that you will love? Have you ever been wrong? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think about it?