Anticipated Releases (January- March 2026)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my Anticipated Releases- for the first three months of 2026! 

I can't believe it's just a couple of weeks until 2026! (And how many good books are coming too.)

I don't have a huge amount on this list, just four at the moment. (I'm sure the second I click publish I'll think of a lot more though.) But sometimes a small list can be nice. 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading my post. 

~January~

1. Fence Breakthrough: Quarter Clash #1, by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad (Illustrator)

Release date: 7th January, 2026

I'm not terribly sure where this alligns in the Fence story, but I do know that I will read it. Honestly, I'm willing to read anything that is published in the Fence universe at this point. 

This installment follows the Kings Row fencing team- who have successfully made their way to the fencing semi finals- one step closer to beating Exton! 

But as usual, Aiden has already lost interest in progressing with fencing- and nobody is even suprised! 

Can Harvard help Aiden to get his head in the game before the team falls apart? Or are they forced to carry on the road to victory without him? 

I do love a Harvard and Aiden story, and this one sounds like it's centred around them. 

~February~

1. Sibylline, by Melissa de la Cruz

Release date: 3rd February, 2026

I couldn't possibly begin to do this blurb justice, so I'm just going to quote it: 

"Raven, Atticus and Dorian have dreamed of attending Sibylline for as long as they can remember. 

But when the magical ivy league rejects them, the friends' plan of a future together studying the

arcade comes crashing down. 

Until they decide to steal an education. 

Getting jobs on campus, they sneak into lectures and swipe forbidden texts, dodging the

administation's watchful eye. In the quiet of the night, in the thrill of secrecy, their magic awakens. And 

so do long-buried attractions that turn their friendship into something more. 

But like magic, love can create, and it can destroy. As unrequited feelings and resentment threaten 

to fracture their bond, the trio discovers an insidious magic that has sunk it's claws into Sibylline, 

killing students and corroding the very bones of the university. Now the three intruders may be the 

key to saving the institute from wreckage... if they don't wreck one another first." 

I first came across Melissa de la Cruz when I was a teenager, with her Blue Bloods series. I found it interesting, but as my library was pretty small, I was never able to read more than the one book. (I wasn't very clued up on ordering from other branches.) 

Now, over a decade later, I came across this, and wow! This looks like quite the transformation from the slightly above average vampire-book-in-new-york novel I read in 2014. 

I really hope I get around to reading this. 

2. Amari and the Metalwork Menace (Supernatural Investigations #4), by B.B. Alston

Release date: 26th February, 2026

I put this on here, because I really enjoyed the first two books, and want to continue on with the series. I know I would have, except I keep giving them the option for them to buy me it, BUT THEY JUST WON'T.

Let me explain. When it's my birthday, or Christmas, I give my group of friends a choice of two books to pick between. I've given Amari and the Despicable Wonders to two/ three of friends in the group, and I still don't own it. To be honest, it's not their fault, I could easily go and get it myself, but I just haven't. 

One day. Because I love this series. I love the characters, the fast-paced action scenes, the sentimentel scenes with Amari and her brother. It's a solid series. 

~March~

1. A Soul Full of Shadows (Skulduggery Pleasant #18), by Derek Landy 

The last book. 

It's finally here. 

16 years I've been following this series. 

I started this series when I was 12. Recommended by a friend, I immediately became hooked. When I went to sleep at night, my head was filled with skeleton detectives, female fighters in leather running up walls, tailors covered in marks, all over his body, and a young girl, being introduced in magic, and a whole world of adventure. 

I'm not ready for this series to end. 

You can bet I'll be doing the re-read to end all re-reads before this release. 

I can't wait, to give it the send off it deserves. 

Release date is 26th March. 

Okay! Those are all the books I am looking forward to reading the next three months! Very few choices this time around, but maybe that's what I need to get on top of my unread pile? I guess we'll see. 

As always, feel free to comment what your anticipated releases are, and we can chat about them! It might even co-erse me into adding it to my list! 

Okay! I hope you have a lovely evening, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

Neverwhere (London Below #1), by Neil Gaiman

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with a rare review! 

I chose Neverwhere because, when writting my wrap up for November, I realised that I had way too many thoughts to fit it all into a wrap up, which is why I'm going all out with a review. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Title: Neverwhere

Author: Neil Gaiman 

Genre: Fantasy 

Status: Book 1 in an uncompleted duology

Release date: 16th September, 1996

Pages: 412

Blurb: "Under the streets of London lies a

world most people could never dream of. 

When Richard Mayhew stops to help a girl he

finds bleeding in the street, his unremarkable

life changes in an instant. 

This act of kindness leads him to a place filled with 

murderers and angels, pale girls in black velvet, a Beast 

in a labyrinth and an Earl who holds Court in a tube train. 

It is strangely familiar yet utterly bizarre. 

Here is London below, the city of people who have 

fallen between the cracks. And for Richard Mayhew, 

it's only the beginning."

My Thoughts

Neverwhere is a book about a world below well, the world. It contains people that have fallen through the cracks. It's a whimsical, magical and mysterious world, full of creatures, beasts, henchman, bodyguards, merchants that deal in information and locked cases. If you're looking for a world with a bit of bite, you've come to the right book. 

Richard Mayhew, our protagonist comes across it by specific circumstances, by an act of kindness to a struggling girl. Next thing he knows, nobody recognises him, he has no job, no house, no money. So, in a quest to find the girl he helped, in order to get his life back, he ends up aiding her in another quest to safety, from the person that killed the rest of her family. 

What's interesting about Richard is that he's pretty much your standard guy; engaged, good job in an office in London. Apart from acting in kindness towards a total stranger, nothing really sets him apart from your standard city guy. Then he's thrust into this totally different, dangerous world. He faces challenges, faces fears and meets terrible people during his time in London Below. You'd expect him to change from an experience like that. Except he doesn't. Which is what's so likeable about him. 

What I mean is, he's much like you and I. Bewildered at this brand new, sometimes scary world, amazed at some of the people he meets, scared at some of the things he's asked to do. Yet he stays set, focused on the one goal of, if he survives, if he helps his friend get to safety, then he'll get his life back. You'll have to read it to find out if he does or not. All in all, I want more books with Richard in them. I keep thinking about him. 

Now, this is probably my issue, because it seems to be taking me an age to finish books nowadays, but I never seemed to want to read for longer than 20 minutes or so, every time I picked this book up. It wasn't like I wasn't enjoying it, I was. But the fact that it was taking me so long to finish, it kind of lessened the enjoyment for me. I'm definitely putting it down to a personal issue on this one, because it was such a good book. 

This is actually the first time I want to spend more time with the characters, rather than spend more time in the world, with which he's created. Don't get me wrong, I love the world, the way you'd feel you have to be looking over your shoulder constantly if you were in there yourself. But it's Richard, Anastasia, Marquis, Hunter, and of course Door, that I want to meet the most. 

It's the will for these characters to survive that drew me to this, not the world. 

To sum up, I really really liked this book. 

At this point, I've read a fair few Neil Gaiman books. Some I felt, I didn't gel with, then there's the odd one that I liked, but didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Then there are two of his books, which are the cream of the crop. Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of them. Neverwhere is the other. 

I really hope we get news on the sequel sometime soon. 

Okay! Those are all of my thoughts on Neverwhere, from the London Below duology! I hope you enjoyed, feel free to let me know in the comments what you thought, of the book, or the review, whichever floats your boat! 

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx

December TBR (2025)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here! 

And I'm here with the last TBR of the year! 

How did we get to the last month of 2025, already? It seems only five minutes I was re-reading the HP series, at the top of the year. 

But, it's time to set the TBR that'll wrap up the year, with a bang- and that's exactly what I intend to do- by reading whatever the fuck I want. 

And that's how it should be. 

(This TBR is going to be full of re-reads, by the way.) 

1. American Gods (American Gods #1), by Neil Gaiman 

So far, the most I've read of this has been from the audiobook, doing RFID on a sunday at 8am. I want to make more of an effort reading the physical book, and whittling through it, little by little. I don't want to put any pressure on myself to read more than I want to, and if that means that it takes an extra week to finish it than it might have, then so be it. 

I'm still slightly reeling from Neverwhere, and Richard's story, but I'm really enjoying reading about Shadow, getting to grips with this weird world he's stepped into, by being employed by Mr. Wednesday. He sounds about as overwhelmed as I am, but I'm really enjoying this story and curious as to what's going to happen next. About a quarter in so far. 

2. Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1), by Laini Taylor

Strange the Dreamer. I don't think I've read a beautiful story before, or since reading this. It's been nearly eight years since I read this, and I'm ready to step into that world again. Does anybody else remember when this book was the shit of booktube? My interest in this was largely to do with Katytastic, who was screaming about this, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone, both by Laini Taylor. 

I want re-immerse myself in Lazlo Strange's story, and the lost city of Weep once more. I can't wait to see what I think, nearly eight years on. 

3. Twilight (The Twilight Saga #1), by Stephenie Meyer

4. New Moon (The Twilight Saga #2), by Stephenie Meyer 

5. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga #3), by Stephenie Meyer

6. Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga #4), by Stephenie Meyer#

I've been thinking about re-reading this for literal months at this point. Will I be reading one of the most morbid series' for miles around at Christmas? Absolutely. It's been *hastily checks Goodreads* nearly 6 1/2 years since I picked this series up, and I cannot wait to sink my teeth back into this. (Pun intended, of course.) 

So, I'll probably be alone in this, but if you happen to be reading this, and follow my twitter, I'll be doing a poll on there. Which Twilight book is your favourite? (Only including the four above by the way, but feel free to comment if your favourite happens to be Midnight Sun or Life After Death.) 

7. Eliza and her Monsters, by Francesca Zappia

When I started thinking about this month's TBR this evening, I wasn't even considering picking this. But sometimes you can surprise yourself. Another book I haven't read in six years. 

We follow Eliza; shy, awkward, an introvert in the outside world, and to everyone except herself and her family. But inside, and online, she becomes LadyConstellation, anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic, Monstrous Sea. Then, Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea's biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school, and Eliza begins to learn what life is like outside of her computer. But when Eliza's computer is found- and all her secrets come spilling out, it's the end of her world as we know it. Everything she's built- her story, her relationship with Wallace, even her sanity- begins to fall apart. 

This may lead to me re-reading Fangirl sometime soon, because for me, they have a really similar feel. I loved them both to be honest, but right now, this is definitely the book that's screaming READ ME the most. It's been too long since I read this last. 

Okay! Those are all the books I want to read this month! Knowing me, it'll probably take me half the month to finish American Gods, and that'll be me screwed. It really doesn't matter to me though, this is a loose TBR after all. 

As always, feel free to comment any reading plans/ plans (FNAF or Wicked plans in particular) in the comments below! I always love to hear them. 

Okay! I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee!

-Abi xxx