TWELVE new releases this week – that’s the biggest Must-Have Monday so far this year!!!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Trans MC, brown Latine nonbinary love interest
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
Laced with romance, gothic imagery, Catholic mysticism, diaspora, and horror…
When lonely transgender exorcist, Colin Hart, finds himself challenged by an unruly haunted house in Gideon, Colorado, he’s kept awake by ghosts, demons, ghouls, and the handsome nonbinary owner of the house, Bishop Martínez.
Unlike the simple hauntings Colin is accustomed to, Bishop’s house is a living beacon, attracting a plethora of inhuman creatures, including a vengeful wolf-headed spirit who might be the key to quieting their sleepless nights.
But as a heartbreaking mystery unravels, Colin comes face-to-face with the past Bishop tried to bury, opens a closet full of bloody skeletons, and trips into an accidental romance.
As paranormally skilled as Colin might be, this particular haunting may be too messy for him to handle…
Moon is an incredible author and I’m ridiculously excited to see their take on a haunted house; especially since we’ve been promised angel magic (maybe Enochian magic?), Catholic vibes, and graverobbing dates!
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queernorm world, brown bi/pansexual MC, achillean MC, bi/pansexual secondary character, bi/pansexual love interest, minor intersex rep
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
Krona and her Regulators survived their encounter with Charbon, the long-dead serial killer who returned to their city, but the illusions of their world were shattered forever.
Allied with the healer Melanie they will battle the elite of their world who have ruled their world with deception, cold steel, and tight control of the magic that could threaten their power, while also confronting beasts from beyond the foggy barrier that binds their world.
Now they must follow every thread to uncover the truth behind the Thalo, once thought of as only a children's tale, who are the quiet, creeping puppet masters of their world.
This is the (incredible) sequel to The Helm of Midnight, and I would encourage you to try this even if you didn’t completely love Helm – Cage is an easier and, imo, much better read, and you won’t BELIEVE the reveals we finally get!!!
Genres: Speculative Fiction
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
A beguiling blend of noir detective story and science fiction perfect for fans of Michael Chabon and Emily St. John Mandel, this unputdownable debut imagines a world where emotions have been weaponized, and a small-town law enforcement agent uncovers a conspiracy to take down what’s left of American democracy.
In an alternate 2009, the United States has been a second-rate power for a quarter of a century, ever since Argentina’s victory in the Falkland’s War thanks to their development of “psychopigments.” Created as weapons, these colorful chemicals can produce almost any human emotion upon contact, and they have been embraced in the US as both pharmaceutical cure-alls and popular recreational drugs. Black market traders illegally sell everything from Blackberry Purple (which causes terror) to Sunshine Yellow (which delivers happiness).
Psychopigment Enforcement Agent Kay Curtida works a beat in Daly City, just outside the ruins of San Francisco, chasing down smalltime crooks. But when an old friend shows up with a tantalizing lead on a career-making case, Curtida’s humdrum existence suddenly gets a boost. Little does she know that this case will send her down a tangled path of conspiracy and lead to an overdue reckoning with her family and with the truth of her own emotions.
Told in the voice of a funny, brooding, Latinx Sam Spade, The Shamshine Blind is “a rip-roaring beautifully crafted mash-up of cop noir, sci-fi, and alt-history that left me dazzled by its prescience and literary zing” (Leah Hampton, author of F*ckface).
The premise of Shamshine reminds me just a little of HellSans by Ever Dundas – but now instead of fonts, it’s pigments! And not gonna lie, I’m all for spec fic where the USA isn’t a big shot anymore. Really interested to try this!
Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queernorm world, bi/pansexual MC, F/F
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
The second book in this environmental epic fantasy series delves into the mysteries of a world where ships kept afloat by magical hearthfires sail an endless grass sea.
After setting fire to the Forever Sea and leaving the surface world behind, Kindred Greyreach dives below to find a Seafloor populated by roving bands of scavengers. Among them, Kindred discovers a familiar face working to save the Sea from the continued spread of the Greys and the ravages of the world above. But when Kindred finds herself at odds with them, she and her friends will have to use every power available to them—including their link to the surface world—to forestall disaster.
Meanwhile, above, a boy named Flitch, son of the Baron of the Borders, finds himself caught in a dangerous political crisis as survivors from Arcadia and the Once-City arrive on the Mainland. When Flitch begins to receive messages from someone below the Sea, the denizens of the Mainland see it as a sign that ancient enemies from across the Forever Sea are returning. The resulting crisis forces Flitch and his siblings to flee, as they seek out the truth hidden in old stories.
Above and below, Flitch and Kindred will have to work together to save themselves, their loved ones, and the Forever Sea itself.
I wasn’t originally going to include this, because I was not the biggest fan of the first book in this series, The Forever Sea…but I really adored the worldbuilding, and the ending of book one made it clear we were going to get MUCH more of that incredible worldbuilding in the sequel. SO YES, I’LL BE GIVING IT A TRY. Fingers crossed I enjoy it much more than I did Sea!
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Trans MC, M/M
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
Valentine Weis is a salvager in the future wastelands of Utah. Wrestling with body dysphoria, he dreams of earning enough money to afford citizenship in Salt Lake City – a utopia where the testosterone and surgery he needs to transition is free, the food is plentiful, and folk are much less likely to be shot full of arrows by salt pirates. But earning that kind of money is a pipe dream, until he meets the exceptionally handsome Osric.
Once a powerful AI in Salt Lake City, Osric has been forced into an android body against his will and sent into the wasteland to offer Valentine a job on behalf of his new employer – an escort service seeking to retrieve their stolen androids. The reward is a visa into the city, and a chance at the life Valentine’s always dreamed of. But as they attempt to recover the “merchandise”, they encounter a problem: the android ladies are becoming self-aware, and have no interest in returning to their old lives.
The prize is tempting, but carrying out the job would go against everything Valentine stands for, and would threaten the fragile found family that’s kept him alive so far. He’ll need to decide whether to risk his own dream in order to give the AI a chance to live theirs.
This one ended up a not-for-me – you can read about why here – but I think plenty of other readers will enjoy it, so it makes the list!
Genres: Speculative Fiction
Representation: Latina MC
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales--the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi.
Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after--and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past.
But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor's extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo's dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife's secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives.
Combining the lush, haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
I adore Chokshi’s prose, so I’m really excited to try her Adult debut! I’m not clear on exactly how fantastical it is, but I guess I’ll find out!
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MC, F/F
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
Consecrated Ground is a multiracial lesbian paranormal tour de force that will leave you wary of the shadows and absolutely breathless.
Like her father before her, Joan Matthews is a witch. For generations, their family of binder witches has protected Calvert, Oregon from vampires by strengthening the land with spellcraft. Pushing back against tradition, Joan defied her father and left town to become a war witch, one who fights the monsters hand-to-hand. But when her father dies, Joan returns to find her hometown assailed by a vampire lord’s endless attacks—and the answers lie with the one woman who chose a rival over Joan.
Leigh Phan once believed her heart was safe and her future was set. When Joan left town, Leigh’s choices led to ruin and unintended consequences. Now Leigh harbors a dark secret forcing her to live a moment-to-moment existence. Her only hope of survival lies in trusting the war witch who left her behind.
Now it's up to Joan to fight for a town she left behind, while Leigh faces a destiny she never imagined was possible. With Calvert on the brink of total destruction, Joan and Leigh join forces and face inconvenient truths in order to save their town—and each other.
I included this in last week’s Must Have Monday post, but it looks like the release was pushed back a week, so here it is again! Still sounds like something I very much want to check out!
Genres: Sci Fi
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
They met while London burned. A encounter during a riot brought Amon Brightbourne together with Raissa Hopeland on a mad rooftop hunt for a family heirloom: a Tesla Coil. But there is no such thing as chance where Amon is concerned: he's been exiled from his family home because he's both cursed and blessed with the Grace — he lives a charmed life, but at the expense of those closest to him. The Grace made him fall in love with Raissa, and with her family, the extraordinary Hopelands — a family like stars in the sky, scattered but connected in constellations of affection, parenthood, love and responsibility.
But a terrible misunderstanding tears them apart, and sends Amon on a journey through the ever-extending Hopeland family, touching lives and shaping the course of the unfolding 20th century. Raissa's life is also changed by that moment, from free spirit to major player in the unfolding story of the 21st century in an Iceland transformed by the Artic thaw.Over twenty years their lives and loves orbit around each other, through climate change, new religions, economic and technological revolution, resource wars and mass migration as Raissa tries to unite her family. there is — and always will be — Hope in her name. They love each other but they can never be with each other — until Amon must choose between family and his fear of what the Grace will do to the woman he has always loved.
Hopeland is a sprawling, picaresque, magical, marvelous novel — love story, family saga, tech thriller, science fiction — that takes you to the heart of the woes and promises of this most astonishing of centuries.
I’m not all that interested in the central love story, but I’m very intrigued by the Grace and an alternate-to-ours Iceland!
Genres: Fantasy
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
In this all-new novel from the world of Dhonielle Clayton’s sweeping, lush Belles series, rebellious, outspoken, fan-favorite Edel Beauregard enters the Beauty Trials―a deadly competition to find the next Queen of Orléans.
Sophia, the dangerous and erratic former queen, has been imprisoned, restoring peace to Orléans. Now her sister, Charlotte, sits on the throne and has decided to invoke the ancient tradition of the Beauty Trials―a series of harrowing tests meant to find the true ruler of Orléans. Edel, who has always aspired to be more than a Belle, decides to enter and, after promising to bind her arcana to keep from having an unnatural advantage, joins a few dozen other hopefuls intent on becoming the next Queen of Orléans.
But the Trials are far worse than any of them bargained for. As the women are put through tasks that test their strength, confidence, composure, and bravery, many perish, and Edel is mysteriously attacked by one of the other competitors―forcing her to use her powers just to survive. Will her subterfuge cost her the crown, or is there a larger conspiracy at play?
New York Times best-selling author Dhonielle Clayton returns to her sweeping, lush fantasy series with an all-new story teeming with high-stakes court intrigue and danger disguised by beauty.
I only found out last minute that Clayton was coming back to her Belles universe, but I’m so glad she is! Her prose is so gorgeous and she gets to unleash that completely with the beauty-magic of the Belles – I have no doubt that The Beauty Trials will leave me swooning!
Genres: Fantasy
Published on: 14th February 2023
Goodreads
A sea-faring girl and her friends take on pirates and grown-ups, and bond with dragons, as they work to make the world a better place, in this spellbinding fantasy by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr.
Otter (short for Ottilie) is a girl who is most comfortable on her family's ship, the Tempest, where she and her fathers collect the dragon hides that protect the queen's guards. But all is not well in the kingdom, and it's not clear if the queen is to blame. The streets are full of homeless kids, and now one of them, a street-smart boy called London, has stowed away on the Tempest. He befriends Otter, and soon they realize that the fate of the kingdom needs to be in the hands of the kids. For in every tight spot--during pirate attacks and navigating the magical land of the Netherwhere, where they get ship-wrecked--it is the quick-witted kids who save the day. As they work to fight injustice and protect the defenseless, they earn the respect of the realm's most magical creatures--dragons and gargoyles--who all bond together as a force for good. Melissa Marr spins another fabulous fantasy, centered on family and friends, and introduces readers to the most splendid magical creatures.
This looks super sweet, and one I’m definitely going to be getting a copy of for my dragon-loving little sister! (She has excellent taste.)
Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queernorm world, Central American-coded cast + setting, bi/pansexual MCs, achillean MCs, Deaf MC
Published on: 16th February 2023
Goodreads
The Empire of Songs reigns supreme. Across all the lands of Ixachipan, its hypnotic, magical music sounds. Those who battled against the Empire have been enslaved and dispersed, taken far from their friends and their homes.
In the Singing City, Xessa must fight for the entertainment of her captors. Lilla and thousands of warriors are trained to serve as weapons for their enemies. And Tayan is trapped at the heart of the Empire’s power and magic, where the ruthless Enet’s ambition is ever growing.
Each of them harbours a secret hope, waiting for a chance to strike at the Empire from within.
But first they must overcome their own desires. Power can seduce as well as crush. And, in exchange for their loyalty, the Empire promises much.
I had SUCH an incredible time with the first book in this series, The Stone Knife (you can read my review here) and after THAT ENDING, I’m dying to dive into the sequel! If you haven’t checked out this series yet, you really must; Epic Fantasy in an ancient Central American setting! Deaf monster hunters and their monster-hunting service dogs! Song magic! Queernorm everything! Just be prepared for some grimdark elements/themes!
Genres: Fantasy
Representation: Nigerian cast and setting
Published on: 16th February 2023
Goodreads
Soon you will become the thing all other beasts fear.
Treasure and her mother lost everything when Treasure's daddy died. Haggling for scraps in the market, Treasure meets a spirit who promises to bring her father back - but she has to do something for him first.
Ozoemena has an itch in the middle of her back that can't be scratched. An itch that speaks to her patrilineal destiny, to defend her people by becoming a leopard. Her father impressed upon her what an honour this was before he vanished, but it's one she couldn't want less - she has enough to worry about as she tries to fit in at a new school.
But as the two girls reckon with their burgeoning wildness and the legacy of decisions made by their fathers, Ozoemena's fellow students start to vanish. Treasure and Ozoemena will face terrible choices as each must ask herself: in a world that always says 'no' to women, what must two young girls sacrifice to get what is theirs?
Dazzling made it onto my Unmissable SFF of 2023 list, and everything I’ve heard just confirms that it’s a must-read! So excited to pounce on this come Thursday!!!
Will you be reading any of these? Let me know!
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