Can't Wait For...THE EMPIRE OF DREAMS by Rae Carson!!!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Hi Bookworms!

I have a very important question for you: HOW ON EARTH did I miss the fact that one of my absolute favorite YA authors, Rae Carson, has a new book coming out....AND THAT IT IS A NEW ADDITION in my favorite series from her?

You guys. I mean. YOU GUYS. I just.... Where are my words?

She previously wrote the amazing The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, which I picked up on a lark because it had been blurbed by one of my all-time favorite authors, Tamora Pierce, and recommended for fans of her and another favorite, Kristin Cashore. And quickly, she became a favorite as well and now I consider this trio to be, just... *kisses fingers* Anytime any of them write something new, I freak out. Every time one of them recommends/blurbs a book (or the blurb is recommended "for fans of," I pick it up. HOW DID I NOT KNOW A NEW BOOK WAS COMING?

The original trilogy also recently got repackaged covers! I believe I DID hear about that, but forgot...and I don't think I saw the new covers until today, but they go well with the new novel.

The Original Covers:

(The original trilogy and the three e-novellas that were also in a paperback omnibus!)

The New Covers:

This picture is NOT mine.
Rae Carson posted the new covers together on Twitter during the reveal!

And, of course, the brand-new, just revealed cover for THE EMPIRE OF DREAMS!

Ah, I want to know SO MUCH MORE about this book. It takes place years after the events of the first book, and if you DO plan to read the original trilogy first, the summary may be slightly spoilery when referring to the original main character. BUT it's also a brand-new adventure, and the summary sounds like this book can be read on its own. (But the first trilogy is so good and you should just read it anyway!)

But anyway, STUFF HAPPENS at the end of the third book that actually made me wish for a spin-off in the future with new characters and a return to this world. Is that this book? Maybe, maybe not. Or maybe it's a set-up for THAT series. *bites nails* Can I have this now, pretty, pretty please?

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

YA Books Central is currently GIVING AWAY a full set of the original trilogy -- in its original hardcover edition -- SIGNED AND PERSONALIZED -- to one lucky winner! So if you haven't read this series yet, here's your chance to pick it up right now!

Here are my reviews for the original series:

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS   THE CROWN OF EMBERS   THE BITTER KINGDOM

and the companion e-books:

THE SHADOW CATS   THE SHATTERED MOUNTAIN

(I don't think I ever reviewed THE KING'S GUARD, which is a shame, because it's the backstory of one of my favorite characters in the series! Or maybe I did...it's really hard to find old reviews now that my host site Blogger doesn't go back more than a year or two when you search for something. So annoying!)

And here is a review of the first book in her second, non-related series, WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER!

Want to see the summary for the new book? Are you ready to wait until February 2020 for this baby? It feels so far away, but it's not even a year!

~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  THE EMPIRE OF DREAMS
Author: Rae Carson

Release Date: Feb. 4, 2020

Publisher: Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins

 

SUMMARY:

New York Times-bestselling author Rae Carson makes a triumphant return to the world of her award-winning Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy in this extraordinary stand-alone novel. With action, adventure, and a heroine set on destroying the patriarchal limits meant to keep her in her place, THE EMPIRE OF DREAMS once again proves that Rae Carson is a master of epic fantasy.

Even though Red Sparkle Stone is a foundling orphan with an odd name and a veiled past, she's about to be adopted into the royal family—by Empress Elisa herself. Sixteen-year-old Red can hardly believe her luck. Then, in a stunning political masterstroke, the empress's greatest rival blocks the adoption, and Red is left with no family and no future.

Grieving and lost, but determined to find her place, Red hatches a daring plan: she will prove herself as a recruit for the world's most elite fighting force, the legendary Royal Guard—something no woman has done before. But it's no coincidence that someone wanted her to fail as a princess, someone whose shadowy agenda puts everything she loves at risk. As danger closes in, it will be up to Red and her new friends—and maybe some new enemies—to save the empire. If they can survive recruitment year.