Winter 2022–2023 Reads

Oh, look, a seasonal post is going up on time! In fact, it's going up early! Though not as early as it would have had I not realized that last Friday was, in fact, December 9, not December 16. (This is what they don't tell you about working at a church, y'all! You kind of end up living in two weeks at once, especially around the holidays.) Anyway. This winter has some releases I am immensely excited about — but before I get into that, don't forget that there's still time to preorder Through a Shattered Glass (and the rest of the Broken Mirrors releases) and request your set of character art stickers! Ok, advertising aside, let's get on with this season's most exciting (to me) releases.

Friday 5s: Winter 2022–2023 Reads

1. Illuminare by Bryn Shutt (December 9). I've actually already read this one — I did so within a few days of its release — and quite enjoyed it. The author promotes it as a readalike for Discworld and Six of Crows, and I could definitely pick up the influence of both of those series. Also, I vibed quite a lot with Desmond Edenry, arguably the main main character. Definitely a book I'd recommend.

2. Snowfield Palace by Kendra E. Ardnek (December 19). The first of the Broken Mirrors releases and another book I've actually read before writing this post! You'll get my full thoughts come Monday, but suffice it to say that if you liked the rest of the Austen Fairy Tales, you'll love this one — a blend of The Snow Queen with Mansfield Park — just as much.

3. Shattered Reflection by Madisyn Carlin (December 21). The second Broken Mirrors book! I'm probably in the middle of reading this book by the time you read this post — but as of writing, I'm still waiting on my ARC. In any case, I will say that this story sounds fascinating. It sounds like Madisyn will be making the Snow Queen more of a sympathetic character, and I'm excited to see how that works out. I'm also predicting now that Breac is going to end up my favorite character, but we'll see what happens.

4. Of Ice and Roses by Heather M. Elliot (December 22). Another Broken Mirrors release! Again, I'm excited to see what Heather does with the fairy tale. It sounds like we're getting intrigue, prophecies, a quest, and a heroine who starts the book married, all of which hold quite a lot of promise.

5. Through a Shattered Glass by Sarah Pennington (December 23). It's me! And my book! I'm super excited to share Through a Shattered Glass with y'all. I honestly think it's some of my best work . . . and I'm not just saying that because it's essentially an after-the-portal-fantasy story (which I really enjoy) or because I loved getting to revisit Wonderland and give it my own spin (which I did) or because it involves a magical cat in the form of my version of the Cheshire Cat (which it does). Again, there's still time to preorder if you haven't already!

6. Christmas Games by Erudessa Gentian (December 24). This is the final Broken Mirror releasing next week, and while I haven't read the series that this short story is part of, I'm excited to venture into a new world — and a new genre. I tried to write my own trapped-in-a-game story years ago (and failed), so I'm excited to see what Erudessa does with it and how she'll use the Snow Queen elements in a more sci-fi setting.

7. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson (January 1). Like every other Sanderfan on the planet, I was SO HYPED when Brandon Sanderson announced his Secret Projects. (The man wrote FOUR WHOLE BOOKS without telling us, WHILE working on Stormlight and Mistborn and everything else. HOW.) Tress of the Emerald Sea is probably the installment in the series that I'm most interested in, so I am, of course, very much looking forward to my copy arriving in January. (If you missed the Kickstarter, though, I have heard that the books will be available to buy at some point.)

8. The White Queen's Spell by Wyn Estelle Owens (January 19). This was meant to be the second Broken Mirrors release and the sequel to The Dark King's Curse, but Wyn had to push it back (alas!) due to timing concerns. Granted, I'm an alpha reader on this one, so it's not like I have to wait any longer to read the story than I otherwise would have to . . . but also, what I have read of the story is so good, and I want to talk about it so storming much. Help.

9. The Dragon's Princess by Kendra E. Ardnek (January 19). Kendra keeps sneaking out these short fairy tale retellings that swap the hero and villain. This is actually the third in the series, and it's based on St. George and the Dragon, which is not a legend I see many people retelling. I have a good guess about how Kendra is going to approach this one, but I'm excited to see if I'm right or not.

10. On Earth as It Is in Hell by Bryan Davis (February 3/15). This is the final book in Bryan Davis's Oculus Gate series, which should be exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing these characters one more time and finding out how they're going to get themselves out of the mess we last saw them in — which, if you'd forgotten, had several of the characters plunging into hell, either captured by or in pursuit of a thoroughly evil villain. Fun stuff. Anyway, this is coming in February; release dates are weird because the paperback and the ebook become available on different days. Keep an eye out for my review sometime in that span!

11. A Whisker Behind by W.R. Gingell (February 15). CITY BETWEEN SPINOFF. Not only that, a City Between spinoff focused on Athelas, everyone's favorite twisty lavender-grey fae! Athelas is absolutely my favorite character from the original series, so I cannot begin to express how much I'm looking forward to this. This spinoff also shifts settings from Australia to South Korea, which I think will be cool. But mostly I'm just looking forward to spending more time in the world of Between and Behind.

What book releases are you excited for this winter? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!