Waiting on Wednesday: Uprooted and World of Thedas

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. This meme spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating. ---

Uprooted

Naomi Novik Expected Publication: May 19, 2015 Genre: YA Fantasy

Naomi Novik, author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Temeraire novels, introduces a bold new world rooted in folk stories and legends, as elemental as a Grimm fairy tale.

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

I saw this in Publisher's Weekly's Summer Reads of 2015. I haven't read anything of Naomi Novik before but this one sounds fantastic.

Dragon Age: World of Thedas Volume 2

Various Authors

Expected Publication: May 12, 2015

BioWare's newest game Dragon Age: Inquisition will expand the universe of their epic series in profound ways. This comprehensive book of lore features exclusive art and information, exploring every corner of this dark fantasy masterpiece!

Newcomers will appreciate how this volume covers everything they need to know about the world and characters of these smash-hit games! Dedicated fans will revel in the abundance of never-before-revealed secrets, the perfect companion to Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 1! From heroes to villains, to songs and food, and everything in between, this book puts the breath and depth of this inimitable fantasy at your fingertips.

Anyone who's following my Twitter and Tumblr accounts knows that I'm a huge Dragon Age fan. I started playing the game when my nephew introduced me to Dragon Age Origins (the first in the series) about five years ago. Thanks a lot, AJ. And continued on to the latest, Dragon Age Inquisition, which released last year. One of the best games out there, if not the best, this is a really amazing game series with an in-depth, comprehensive storyline, fascinating world and just about one great gaming experience. Did I mention that the gamemakers are really into details? I mean this is volume 2 of the World of Thedas after all.