T10T: 2020 January → March 5-Star Predictions!

January 7, 2020

TTT-Big2

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s theme is “most anticipated books for the first half of 2020”, but since I just did my most anticipated 2020 releases a few weeks ago, it felt like a good reason to do something else — and then I remembered that it’s time for my quarterly 5-star predictions list! So, let’s talk about how my last predictions list turned out, as well as 10 new titles I expect to give 5 stars in the coming quarter.

October → December 2019 Predictions: UPDATE!

  • Capturing the Devil ⌛
    • I’m still reading this, and so far, I’m not sure what to predict for this rating.
  • Get a Life, Chloe Brown ✅✅✅✅✅
    • This was my favorite read of 2019! You can check out my review here.
  • Remains ⛔
    • I haven’t read this one yet, but it is on my January TBR.
  • Permanent Record ⛔
    • I haven’t read this yet, either!
  • Better Watch Out ❌
    • I gave this 2.5 stars!
  • Full Disclosure ⛔
    • Still on my TBR.
  • A Heart So Fierce and Broken ❌❌❌❌
    • I DNFed this about 25% in because I hated it so much. I did skip ahead and read the last few chapters to see how it ended, and based on all of that combined, I bet I would’ve given this 2 stars, max.
  • The Wives ⛔
    • Still on my TBR.
  • Crown of Oblivion ⛔
    • Still on my TBR.
  • Ninth House ⛔
    • Still on my TBR.

So, I had a 10% success rate. YIKES. Let’s hope this next batch is more successful!

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? come tumbling down

why I expect 5 stars:

I love Seanan McGuire and have given at least 4.5 stars to every single book I’ve read by her, so I can’t imagine this being any different!

? seven deadly shadows

why I expect 5 stars:

I haven’t read much Japanese-inspired fantasy lately, but it was a favorite theme of mine for such a long time, so this already has an added bonus of some nostalgic vibes, plus I just have a gut feeling this is gonna be incredible, and the early reviews I’ve hearing are very encouraging!

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? bent heavens

why I expect 5 stars:

For one thing, I know this author is very well-loved, but for another thing, I adore alien-themed horror stories and I get to read so few of them, that the synopsis alone for this has me feeling blessed.

? the shadows between us

why I expect 5 stars:

We’re getting a romance between not one, but two morally grey characters?! That alone has me sold, but the fact that there’s shadow magic (which I’m apparently a sucker for), too? I have the highest hopes for this dark fantasy.

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??‍?‍?? docile

why I expect 5 stars:

Let me be frank: I want to 5-star this book just based off of the tagline (“There is no consent under capitalism”). The cover, too. *swoon* But on top of that, I really adore everything about the idea of this, from the queer rep to the anti-capitalist themes to the fact that it’s apparently very adult.

? the house in the cerulean sea

why I expect 5 stars:

I’ve only read one T.J. Klune title before, but… well, if you didn’t know this, T.J. has this short story on his site called “Blasphemy!” that is literally about a young gay guy summoning Satan himself and they fall in love. It is literally one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever read in my life, one of the only stories in my life to make me literally cry from laughing, and based on that singular experience, I have THE HIGHEST HOPES for anything else I read from him.

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? ghost squad

why I expect 5 stars:

An own-voices Dominican Ghostbusters-esque MG paranormal story. I honestly think this is gonna be one of the cutest things I’ve ever read and I just might riot if I’m wrong.

? alice

why I expect 5 stars:

This is one of the only backlist titles on this list, but for a good reason: I’m reading this duology before picking up my ARC of its accompanying novella bind-up (Looking Glass), and I couldn’t possibly be any more excited based on how much I’ve adored Christina’s writing in her other titles!

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? bad for the boss

why I expect 5 stars:

It’s Talia Hibbert. Need I say more?

? the twisted ones

why I expect 5 stars:

I’m not sure if this one is cheating a little, because I’m basing this off of actually having already read the first chapter, but WOW did I love this narrator immediately! Plus, she has a really fantastic dog. I’m always hesitant to pick up books with dogs — especially in the horror genre — but we’re told literally right from the start that the dog survives, and that’s enough to put me at ease. ? The narration immediately struck me as really funny and witty, but I hear it gets SUPER creepy, too! ?

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What books do you think you’ll give 5 stars soon?

destiny

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More about Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Just a horror aficionado/geek girl trying to juggle motherhood, reading, blogging, gaming, and everyday life.

29 Comments
    1. You are very brave for putting yourself our there committing to read and hopefully give 5 stars to your books. I usually think I will like a book if a friend likes it, but that isn’t always the case. My new TTT list

    1. Ghost Squad! I am so excited for it. Come Tumbling Down was fun.
      I can’t wait for Seven Deadly Shadows either. Honestly all I need to know about this book is that Courtney Alameda co-wrote it. I really liked her other two books as well.

      1. I’m reading Seven Deadly Shadows right now and REALLY enjoying it so far! I’d only read one other book of hers but I loved it so I’m not surprised by how much I’m enjoying the writing in this. What has surprised me, though (in a good way!) is how rich the Japanese lore is. It’s so fleshed-out and complex and I love it!!

    1. I hope you enjoy all of your predictions! I’m so intrigued by Docile, but I think I’m going to wait for some reviews before I decide whether or not I’m going to add it to my TBR.

    1. Oh yikes, I’ve been really excited for AHSFAB but I’m kinda anxious now seeing as you DNF’d it and would’ve given it two stars, and yours isn’t the first comment I’ve heard along those lines! ? I’ve only heard of one of the books you predict five-stars! Hope you enjoy them all, Destiny 🙂

      My TTT post

    1. I hope you end up loving them all! Or at least more then for your previous predicitions!

      (www.evelynreads.com)

    1. I love these posts, and I hope you give 5 stars to most – if not all – of these books you hope to read soon! I have the house in the cerulean sea on my wish list. It sounds great, as does that short story he wrote! I have now added Docile to my list – I hadn’t heard of that one, but omg, it sounds amazing, and I LOVE that tagline.

      Lauren
      http://www.shootingstarsmag.net

    1. I hope all your predictions are spot on and that you enjoy all of these. I love Henry but I haven’t read Alice yet although I do own both. She has two books out this year, The Looking Glass and another and I want to read them both! Such a great list 🙂

    1. Hallo, Hallo Destiny,

      I gave you a s/o and a nudge for the #ARCApocalypse — I also went in a different direction today and talked about the NonFiction Reads I’ve Yet to get into – which were a combination of ARCs and finished copies – all part of my backlogue of reviews – which is what my focus is this year, same as yours. I love giving s/o to hosts of the reading challenges I’m joining — I just need to create a badge for it and write it up on my 2020 Challenges page — but this was ,a href=”https://jorielovesastory.com/2020/01/07/toptentuesday-nonfic-nextreads”> my ‘unofficial official’ declaration I’m joining you! 🙂

      Btw, I have no idea how I’d even sort out which books would be my *favourites!* ahead of reading them because its so dearly subjective of how a story or book would resonate with you in the time your actually reading it. Timing is something I talked about a lot today, too.

      *waving hallo*… and wishing you at least 40% to the positive for your 5*!!!

    1. I cannot contain my excited for Seven Deadly Shadows. It sounds SO amazing. And the cover is freaking gorgeous. I’m excited to read a Japanese-inspired fantasy book! I’m not sure if I’ve ever read one. I’ve seen Docline on a few bloggers pages! I love the gorgeous as well. There is something about it that is intriguing. I’ve heard it’s written by a trans author as well and I just think that is AMAZING. I might have to check this out. The story itself doesn’t sound like something I might be interested in but I want to be able to support more and more diverse authors <3 I hope you enjoy all of these when you get around to them. I also hope they get a 5 star rating from you 😀

      Amber @ Escape Life in the Pages

    1. “Plus, she has a really fantastic dog” might be my favorite description of the day lol. I’m a scaredy cat as you know so I probably won’t be reading that book, but I’m glad to know the dog survives! =D

      Your lists always introduce me to a handful of books I’ve never heard of and I love that for me. My TBR probably doesn’t, but she doesn’t know she’s doing most of the time lol.

      Wish you luck on not only reading all of these in 2020, but also rating them 5-Stars, as predicted. Love ya!

      Feel free to check out my list here: https://bit.ly/39RVEnZ

    1. What a great idea. The predictions keep your list focused, too. I found Ghost Squad on another blog today and think it will be a great read.

    1. I’m pretty nervous about AHSFAB since I’m currently reading A Curse So Dark and Lonely, and I’ve seen several people say they DNF’d the follow up. I hope I’m not wasting my time. 😉

      Good luck with your goals! My TTT

    1. This is really weird, random and has nothing to do with your TTT…but I had this dream last night that I met you at my dentist’s office. You were friends with my dentist. They were having a party and there was a banner of your old blog header. There were a bunch of bloggers there, too. LOL. No idea where that dream came from at all.

    1. Oooh I am definitely adding Ghost Squad to my TBR it looks so cute!! I hope all of these books are five star reads for you friend! Or at least you have a better success rate than 10% 😀 <3

    1. Alice is so so so good but very dark! It’s defintely one of my favourite retellings of all time because it’s crafted so well! I think this story has always been pretty dark so this retelling has really done the og story a service! I hope you enjoy it! (def check the tw first because this has a lot of triggers and it’s very heavy!)

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