Well hello everyone! Haley here and I’m coming at you with a new feature this fine Saturday. Emily will be away from the blog until Dec. 15th so you’ll be hearing a lot from me over the next ten days. Book Series Saturday is inspired by the monthly Series on Saturday meme hosted by Books of My Heart. Rather than focusing on the best series in a genre, here on Stuck in the Stacks Book Series Saturday will highlight book series that fit a particular theme of our choosing a few times a month. If there is a theme you would like us to highlight please comment below or send us an email at: stuckinthe stacks (at) gmail.com
Today I’m sharing a handful of YA trilogies that will be wrapping up in 2020 and I can hardly contain my excitement.
1- Sweet Black Waves by Kristina Perez
Why I Love It: The Sweet Black Waves trilogy by Kristina Perez is a beautiful, romantic and atmospheric series that any fantasy lover should have on their radar. It is a Tristan and Isolde retelling told from the point of view of Branwen, the lady in waiting to her princess cousin, Iseult. Branwen is a deep, complex character, driven primarily by her love of her homeland and her hatred for the raiders across the sea who murdered her parents. When she unknowingly rescues the life of her enemy, he awakens within her the healing power that flows through her veins and connects her to the land. Full of political intrigue, Branwen fights for peace while the princess she has sworn to love and protect dreams of other things. I cannot say much more without giving away spoilers but Perez paints a lush world of magic, love, betrayal and revenge and I cannot wait for Bright Raven Skies.
Release Date: August 25th 2020.
Comparable Title: The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden; Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
2- Market of Monsters by Rebecca Schaeffer
Why I Love It: I mentioned my love of this series previously but it deserves all the attention. Schaeffer has built a universe in which humans and monsters live side by side. Nita dissects the bodies of monsters which her mother then sells on the black market. When her mother brings home a live specimen and Nita has to draw a line. She refuses to dissect living things. When she tries to save her mother’s victim, Nita ends up on the other side of the deal and must do a lot of bad things to make sure no one ever touches her again. If you love a book full of morally gray characters with unforgiving consequences then you need to pick up this trilogy. Schaeffer is not afraid to tackles questions of class, race, and morality packaged in the form of a gripping sci fi/fantasy horror novel that deserves all the hype.
Release Date: September 8th 2020
Comparable Titles: Villians Duology by VE Schwab; The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff
3- The Lady Janies by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Why I Love It: This trilogy is for all you historical fiction lovers out there. While it can be read out of order, there are few easter eggs if you read them in their intended sequence. Each book takes a famous “Jane” from history and tells “what really happened”. My Lady Jane deals with Jane Grey who is married off by her cousin Edward (the King of England) to a man name G, who happens to turn into a horse every day, all day long. With biting wit, shapeshifters and an abundance of political intrigue My Lady Jane is action packed and full of heart. My Plain Jane takes Jane Eyre and brings ghosts and ghost hunter into the classic tale. Tt was my first book of the Lady Janies and I adored it. My Calamity Jane seems like it will be a western featuring zombies and zombie hunters and I am 100% here for it.
Release Date: June 2nd 2020
Comparable Titles: The Montague Siblings by Mackenzi Lee; Heartstone Trilogy by Elle Katherine White
Why I Love It: This sci-fi horror trilogy is perfect for fans of The Alien franchise. Our protagonist is Kenzie, who has trained all her life to help run the ship Sanctuary with her parents for the largest intergalactic corporation in the world: Omnisteller. Then a routine drill goes sideways and Kenzie is taken hostage by escaped, rioting prisoners. To make matters worse, a far more lethal, hungrier threat is closing in on the ship and it will take all of Kenzie’s training to survive. I cannot say much about the second book without giving important spoilers away but you need to pick up this book if you love books about aliens, found families, or teens with special abilities. Plus, just look at those covers!
Release Date: July 21st 2020
Comparable Titles: Heart of Iron Duology by Ashely Poston; Contagion Duology by Erin Bowman
What About You?
What series are wrapping up next year that you are excited to get your hands on? Have you read any of the ones mentioned above? As always, we love to hear from you so don’t forget to comment below and subscribe!
Great choices! I’m most looking forward to My Calamity Jane.
Great choices! I think the Ash Princess is a trilogy that ends in 2020 and I love that one. Same with the Ace of Shades series. I tend to never know how many books a series will have before I start them, so I’m sure there are others I’m looking forward to that end in 2020.
These are both series I still need to read but I definitely hope to pick up Ash Princess at some point next year. I always have to double check when stuff is coming out because I forget as well.