Top 5 Wednesday: Hyped Releases Not On My Radar

If you’re involved in the online book community in any way, you know that there are just certain books that you see everywhere. This is probably due to multiple factors: they’re part of a large publishing company, they’re a well-established author, or they have excellent marketing skills. But, just because a book is hyped doesn’t mean that you have to want to read it or include it on your TBR. 2019 should be the year of just read what you want to read!

I’ll admit that I fall victim to these “hyped” books as well. After all, if everyone else is liking them, shouldn’t I like them too? The answer: no! That’s the thing about reading. Everyone connects with a book for different reasons. And with so many books out there to read, why waste time with books and stories that don’t connect to you?

This isn’t to say that the following books are bad. I haven’t read them, so I can’t judge them in that capacity. These are just books that haven’t made it on my own TBR, generally from authors I haven’t read/haven’t gotten into. Maybe I’ll read them someday, but they’re not immediate needs.

Wicked King by Holly Black

As far as I can tell, this is one of the most hyped books for 2019. A lot of people read and loved Cruel Prince (which I never got around to reading), so it makes sense that this book has gotten such hype in the media. Maybe I’ll get to the series eventually, but right now, it’s not super high on my list.

Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

This is another book that everyone was looking for on Twitter. This is another book set in historical France (similar to Enchantee), which eh. Not necessarily my thing, though I did enjoy Enchantee. The cover is really pretty–but that’s not enough for me to want to read a book.

King of Scars by Leah Bardugo

I have not jumped on the Leah Bardugo train; not because I don’t want to, just because other things have popped up before it. I think I read Six of Crows awhile ago, but I’ve read so much since then I don’t really remember. Maybe I’ll return to it some day, when I don’t have so much stuff going on.

Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian

This is the sequel to Ash Princess, which I think I might own? I may have gotten it in a book subscription box at some point. Like the other books here, the cover is gorgeous. Even though I’ve been on a bit of a fantasy kick lately, I’m turning more back to contemporary in the new year (because there are a lot of great ones coming out! Check out my 2019 releases post for more).

Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan

This book has also been everywhere on Twitter! I think this is her debut; which sounds dark and creepy and like a great fall read. But, once again, not necessarily something that absolutely speaks to me. As I try to read outside of my comfort zone, some of these anticipated YA releases are getting put on the back-burner. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll never get to them!