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Taking it as read (hah!) that I obviously need to get through all my arcs and Unmissables, here are 10 books other than those that I’m determined to get through before autumn!

(Will I get to them? No idea, I’m a big mood-reader, but I have the best of intentions!

The Sign of the Dragon by Mary Soon Lee
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads

Drawing on Chinese and Mongolian elements, award-winning poet Mary Soon Lee has penned an epic tale of politics, intrigue, and dragons perfect for fans of Game of Thrones and Beowulf.

As the fourth-born prince of Meqing, Xau was never supposed to be king. But when his three older brothers are all deemed unfit to rule and eaten by a dragon, as is the custom, Xau suddenly finds himself on the Meqinese throne. The early years of his reign are marred by brutal earthquakes and floods, and the long-simmering tension with the neighboring country of Innis finally erupts into war. Worst of all, demons rise out of legend to walk the realm again, leaving death and destruction in their wake. In a desperate gamble, Xau must broker an uneasy peace with his former enemies and hope their combined strength is enough to vanquish the demons before it's too late.

The Sign of the Dragon is comprised of over 300 individual poems, including the Rhysling-winning "Interregnum." The first 60 poems appeared in the 2015 Dark Renaissance Books publication Crowned, which won the 2016 Elgin Award, and many individual poems have appeared in award-winning literary magazines such as Fantasy & Science Fiction, Spillway, and Strange Horizons. Collected together in its entirety for the very first time, with over 200 never-before-published poems, readers can finally enjoy King Xau's story of sacrifice and war and dragons from beginning to end.

I found this on a list of ‘deeply unusual’ fantasy – and I think it fits the descriptor, since it’s a story told in hundreds of poems! I’ve been really interested lately in novels that play with format/medium (are either of those the right term?) and a poem-novel definitely counts. Plus, everywhere I look I see nothing but adoring love for it from those who’ve read it!

Engines of Oblivion (The Memory War, #2) by Karen Osborne
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

Karen Osborne continues her science fiction action and adventure series the Memory War with Engines of Oblivion, the sequel to Architects of Memory—the corporations running the galaxy are about to learn not everyone can be bought.

Natalie Chan gained her corporate citizenship, but barely survived the battle for Tribulation.

Now corporate has big plans for Natalie. Horrible plans.

Locked away in Natalie's missing memory is salvation for the last of an alien civilization and the humans they tried to exterminate. The corporation wants total control of both—or their deletion.

I just finished Architects of Memory not long ago, and I an RABID to dive into the sequel! I was so delighted with the aliens especially; after so many books giving me aliens that were just human brains in dress-up bodies, the ones here are FANTASTIC! I doubt we’re going to to a super deep dive on them, but we don’t need to; it’s not the amount of worldbuilding, okay, it’s the quality, and here it’s top tier! Plus the prose is… I can only describe it as silken. Not lush, not purple prose-y, but nonetheless: silken.

Blue Futures, Break Open: A Novel by Zoë Gadegbeku
Genres: Adult, Magical Realism, Speculative Fiction
Goodreads

Blue Basin Island is the final resting spot of formerly enslaved Africans whose souls have flown from Earth—not to heaven or purgatory but toward freedom and a new life. Lucille, the island’s seamstress, takes two forms. She lives among the inhabitants in human form and, along with the evil-repelling blue of the houses, her divine form protects people from the violence of the their former lives. Yet, even there, outside of time, the souls are not totally insulated from the world in which they were enslaved. Each time a Black person anywhere is harmed, a piece of Blue Basin an earthquake leaves hundreds of thousands dead, and bricks crumble on the island; when police kill a Black child asleep in her bed, the blue paint on homes throughout the island drips and then runs from the walls. Lucille must hold the island together, but she struggles to juggle the responsibility of ensuring everyone’s safety while also seeking and losing her own private love. Grounding the story in African folklore and dipping into the rich literary tradition around African people with the power of flight, Zoë Gadegbeku visualizes the destination at the end of the flight and the new life that awaits them.

I don’t impulse-buy books very often, but I fell in love with the premise (and the sample available on the Big River site) of this one the moment I stumbled across it, and bought a copy immediately. …MONTHS ago! It’s ridiculous that I haven’t sat down and read it yet, it’s MORE than time I do that!

These Burning Stars (The Kindom Trilogy, #1) by Bethany Jacobs
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

A dangerous cat-and-mouse quest for revenge. An empire that spans star systems, built on the bones of a genocide. A carefully hidden secret that could collapse worlds, hunted by three women with secrets of their own. All collide in this twisty, explosive space opera debut, perfect for readers of Arkady Martine and Kameron Hurley.

Jun Ironway—hacker, con artist, and occasional thief—has gotten her hands on a piece of contraband that could set her up for proof that implicates the powerful Nightfoot family in a planet-wide genocide seventy-five years ago. The Nightfoots control the precious sevite that fuels interplanetary travel through three star systems. And someone is sure to pay handsomely for anything that could break their hold.

Of course, anything valuable is also dangerous. The Kindom, the ruling power of the star systems, is inextricably tied up in the Nightfoots’ monopoly—and they can’t afford to let Jun expose the truth. They task two of their most brutal clerics with hunting her preternaturally stoic Chono, and brilliant hothead Esek, who also happens to be the heir to the Nightfoot empire.

But Chono and Esek are haunted in turn by a figure from their shared past, known only as Six. What Six truly wants is anyone’s guess. And the closer they get to finding Jun, the surer Chono is that Six is manipulating them all.

​It's a game that could destroy their lives and devastate the stars. And they have no choice but to see it through to the end.

I’ve been seeing this trilogy on rec lists of queer sff for YEARS, and I want to catch up in time to read the last book when it comes out later this year!

Castaways by Craig Schaefer
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

"Under our tutelage here at the Academy, you will receive a thorough instruction in occult history and practice, and learn to traffic with certain clandestine powers. You will face many ordeals, but you will emerge stranger than you have ever been. I'll change your life forever...if you'll let me."

Trapped in a dead-end town and a dead-end life, Amy Nettle dreams of escaping her abusive father and starting over, somewhere far away. The arrival of a black envelope heralds just that, in a way she never could have imagined. Whisked away to the Saunders Academy, a Gothic manse in the heart of an eternal storm-tossed ocean, Amy is one of dozens of teenagers plucked from dozens of parallel Earths and selected for an education in witchcraft. It seems too good to be true...except.

Except no one will tell them why they were chosen, or what happens after graduation. Or why the dormitories on the fourth floor are completely empty. There are tentacled leviathans and carnivorous mermaids in the water, a saboteur stalking the halls, and danger lurks around every corner. Worst of all, failure means the Arch of a one-way trip back to where you came from, without your memories or your magic.

Falling in with a crew of misfits, Amy realizes they're all in the same boat: with nothing but ruin waiting back home, failure is not an option. Then there's Vail, an enigmatic tomboy who makes her heart flutter. For the first time in her life, Amy has something to lose.

Amy and her new friends will have to untangle the dark secrets at the heart of the Saunders Academy and master its mysteries, because there are only two choices left: graduate, or die.

I know I’m far from the only reader seeking a great, queer magic school story, and while we did get Incandescent this year, that was from the pov of a teacher. So while it’s easily my favourite magic school book to date, I’m still craving the student pov! Castaways – which also came out this year – has that, and looks extremely promising (I already know Schaefer’s a wonderful writer from their book Sworn to the Night). Plus, the sequel comes later this week, which definitely means it’s time to hop to it!

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

A coven of modern-day witches. A magical heist-gone-wrong. A looming threat.

Five octogenarian witches gather as an angry mob threatens to demolish Moonshyne Manor. All eyes turn to the witch in charge, Queenie, who confesses they've fallen far behind on their mortgage payments. Still, there's hope, since the imminent return of Ruby--one of the sisterhood who's been gone for thirty-three years--will surely be their salvation.

But the mob is only the start of their troubles. One man is hellbent on avenging his family for the theft of a legacy he claims was rightfully his. In an act of desperation, Queenie makes a bargain with an evil far more powerful than anything they've ever faced. Then things take a turn for the worse when Ruby's homecoming reveals a seemingly insurmountable obstacle instead of the solution to all their problems.

The witches are determined to save their home and themselves, but their aging powers are no match for increasingly malicious threats. Thankfully, they get a bit of help from Persephone, a feisty TikToker eager to smash the patriarchy. As the deadline to save the manor approaches, fractures among the sisterhood are revealed, and long-held secrets are exposed, culminating in a fiery confrontation with their enemies.

Funny, tender and uplifting, the novel explores the formidable power that can be discovered in aging, found family and unlikely friendships. Marais' clever prose offers as much laughter as insight, delving deeply into feminism, identity and power dynamics while stirring up intrigue and drama through secrets, lies and sex. Heartbreaking and heart-mending, it will make you grateful for the amazing women in your life.

This has been on my tbr for ages and I want to get to it, damn it! I liked the first few pages and I’m hopeful this isn’t going to be (accidentally or not) TERFy (which happens way too often with girl!power-witchy novels). Plus, we don’t see enough older protagonists, okay?

The Pride of Chanur (Chanur, #1) by C.J. Cherryh
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Goodreads

The first in a series of “lively tales of swashbuckling capitalism in space,” featuring a fascinating alien culture based on the social structure of lion prides (Locus)

Chaos breaks out when the captain of an all-female alien crew agrees to rescue a human male wanted by their enemy . . .

No one at Meetpoint Station had ever seen a creature like the Outsider. Naked-hided, blunt toothed and blunt-fingered, Tully was the sole surviving member of his company of humans―a communicative, spacefaring species hitherto unknown―and he was a prisoner of his discoverers and captors―the sadistic, treacherous kif―until his escape onto the hani ship, The Pride of Chanur.

Little did he know when he threw himself upon the mercy of The Pride and her crew that he put the entire hani species in jeopardy and imperiled the peace of the Compact itself . . . for the information this fugitive held could be the ruin or glory of any of the species at Meetpoint Station.

I’m finding myself reluctant to keep tearing through the Foreigner series, because soon I’ll have no more of them to read! But CJ Cherryh has written many, many other books, and I’m really excited to start checking them out! I thought I’d want to pounce on her fantasy books first (they are very much the minority, most of her work is scifi) but instead I’ve been drawn to the Chanur series. So that’s up next!

Semiosis (Semiosis, #1) by Sue Burke
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Goodreads

In this character driven novel of first contact by debut author Sue Burke, human survival hinges on an bizarre alliance.

Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient species and prove that mammals are more than tools.

Forced to land on a planet they aren't prepared for, human colonists rely on their limited resources to survive. The planet provides a lush but inexplicable landscape--trees offer edible, addictive fruit one day and poison the next, while the ruins of an alien race are found entwined in the roots of a strange plant. Conflicts between generations arise as they struggle to understand one another and grapple with an unknowable alien intellect.

I’m always looking for stories about properly not-human aliens, and Semiosis was recommended to me on the basis of that by several sources! And after looking at the first chapter, I’m already in love with Burke’s prose!

Switch by Justina Robson
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Science Fantasy
Goodreads

This groundbreaking new novel from one of the genre's most respected authors is a thrilling mix of science, magic and politics.

In Harmony, only model citizens are welcome.

A perfect society must be maintained. The defective must be eradicated. For orphans like Nico and Twostar, this means a life that's brutal, regulated and short.

But Nico and Twostar are survivors, and when they're offered a way out of the slums, they take it.

Unfortunately, no one told Nico the deal included being sentenced to death for the murder of one of Harmony's most notorious gang leaders.

Or that to gain his freedom, first he must lose his mind.

This one’s very simple: I stumbled across this review here, and was convinced I need to read this book! (Beware spoilers at the link!)

Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology by Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett, Craig Laurance Gidney, John Kaiine, Martha Wells, Nisi Shawl, C.S.E. Cooney, Theodora Goss, Maya Deane, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Mike Allen, Andy Duncan, Rocío Rincón Fernández, C.L. Hellisen, Getty Hesse, Starlene Justice, Amelia Mangan, Michael Yuya Montroy, Marisca Pichette, K.T. Wagner, Ann VanderMeer, Julia DeRidder
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Sci Fi
Published on: 1st July 2025
Goodreads

Sixteen new stories from some of today’s most renowned authors. All inspired by the master storyteller Tanith Lee.

Drowning cities and unicorns. Burning deserts and forgotten gods. Golems, elf warriors, and inner-Earthers. Alien lifeforms and museum workers. Ancient plagues and the future of humanity. The familiar and the fantastical. Each story in this anthology is both unique and compelling: from fairy-tale retellings to romance-tinged high fantasy, from nihilistic horror to gripping science fiction. Immersive, wide-ranging, and sublime, Storyteller features worlds and characters that are sure to travel with you long after the last page has been read.

Mike Allen, C.S.E. Cooney, Maya Deane, Andy Duncan, Rocío Rincón Fernández , Theodora Goss, CL Hellisen, Getty Hesse, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Starlene Justice, Amelia Mangan, Michael Yuya Montroy, Marisca Pichette, Nisi Shawl, KT Wagner, Martha Wells

Foreword by John Kaiine. Afterword by Ann VanderMeer.

This one’s not officially released yet, but my copy isn’t an arc – I backed the crowdfunding campaign, so I got my copy early!

I generally have a bad time with multi-author collections and thus avoid them, but a) many of the contributors are deeply beloved faves of mine, and b) they’re writing in honour of Tanith Lee and I’m hoping they’ll be trying to mimic her style because of that. (And if the implication’s not clear, I love her style.)

What’s on your summer reading list?

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