Must-Have Monday is a feature highlighting which of the coming week’s new releases I’m excited for. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I’m interested in out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other genres sneak in occasionally too.
SEVEN books this week!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Genres: Sci Fi
Representation: Botswanan cast & setting
Published on: 23rd January 2024
Goodreads
WOMB CITY imagines a dark and deadly future Botswana, rich with culture and true folklore, which begs the question: how far must one go to destroy the structures of inequality upon which a society was founded? How far must a mother go to save the life of her child?
Nelah seems to have it all: wealth, fame, a husband, and a child on the way. But in a body her husband controls via microchip and the tailspin of a loveless marriage, her hopes and dreams come to a devastating halt. A drug-fueled night of celebration ends in a hit-and-run. To dodge a sentencing in a society that favors men, Nelah and her side-piece, Janith Koshal, finish the victim off and bury the body.
But the secret claws its way into Nelah's life from the grave. As her victim's vengeful ghost begins exacting a bloody revenge on everyone Nelah holds dear, she'll have to unravel her society's terrible secrets to stop those in power, and become a monster unlike any other to quench the ghost's violent thirst.
This sounds dark as hell, but between it being published by Erewhon Press (who I’d trust with my life) and this review over on Ancillary Reviews, I think I have to read it. I’m just gonna need to have kitten videos ready to watch between chapter breaks!
Genres: Sci Fi, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Kurdish MCs, bisexual Black-Hispanic MC, sapphic Black-Filipino MC, magor Chinese sapphic character, pre-F/F
Published on: 23rd January 2024
Goodreads
Award-winning author Seth Dickinson explodes into a new genre with this new standalone novel, a science fiction debut.
“Anna, I came to Earth tracking a very old story, a story that goes back to the dawn of time. it’s very unlikely that you’ll die right now. It wouldn’t be narratively complete.”
Anna Sinjari—refugee, survivor of genocide, disaffected office worker—has a close encounter that reveals universe-threatening stakes. While humanity reels from disaster, she must join a small team of civilians, soldiers, and scientists to investigate a mysterious broadcast and unknowable horror. If they can manage to face their own demons, they just might save the world.
To put it simply, this blew me the fuck away. Dickinson is evidently just as incredible writing scifi as he is fantasy, which would seem unfair if it didn’t mean we get to enjoy his stories in both genres now!
My review (which contains links to much better reviews!)
Genres: Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MCs
Published on: 23rd January 2024
Goodreads
21 tales of sapphic villains, curated by April Yates and Rae Knowles.
Featuring the work of:
Hatteras Mange
Anastasia Dziekan
Ariel Marken Jack
Maerwynn Blackwood
Avra Margariti
Grace R. Reynolds
Evelyn Freeling
Hailey Piper
T.O. King
M.S. Dean
Chloe Spencer
Mae Murray
L.R. Stuart
Alex Luceli Jiménez
Cheyanne Brabo
Luc Diamant
Alyssa Lennander
Anya Leigh Josephs
Lindz McLeod
Caitlin Marceau
Shelly Lavigne.
And a bonus tale from Eric Raglin
Wicked sapphics? EVIL sapphics?? Excuse me, why is this not in my hands already??? RUDE!
(Also it that title didn’t make you giggle-snort, I don’t know what will!)
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bisexual MC/s, M/M
Published on: 23rd January 2024
Goodreads
When Ryan and Jason discover the destructive beauty of freestyle BMX, it’s a definitive before-and-after moment for them.
The two riders gravitate to the freedom and raw aggression of trail riding as a way of coping with their tumultuous home lives: Ryan’s domineering father and Jason's father's suicide.
The boys prove themselves within the exclusive East Coast BMX scene. They're drawn deeper into the culture when they fall in with a group of older pros who are part of a subterranean world of bisexuality and sadistic humor. As Ryan and Jason fight to preserve their relationship, they must navigate their own emerging sexuality and feelings for one another. The death-drive urge to ride massive jumps makes perfect sense to them, but life outside of riding spills over at the edges.
The Dirt in Our Skin is a coming-of-age novel and artistic tribute to an activity that’s more lifestyle than sport. It’s a book of blurred lines: between friendship and love, humor and abuse, art and sport, fiction and nonfiction, and much more.
I know nothing about BMX-ing, but this is giving me Summer Sons vibes (albeit without the supernatural elements), so I want to give it a try!
Genres: Fantasy
Representation: Brown MC
Published on: 23rd January 2024
Goodreads
"Steal-your-breath adventure." —Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles
Perfect for fans of Fable and House of Salt and Sorrows, this spectacular YA fantasy adventure debut is like nothing else, featuring a unique twist on Treasure Island, a magnetic second chance romance, and a thrilling heist where the reward is great—but the risks are even greater.
In the slowly sinking city of Coconino, Arizona, the days are long, the money is tight, and the rain never stops.
For Jin Haldar, this life is nothing new—ever since her father died in a diving accident, she’s barely made ends meet for her and her younger sister, Thara.
Enter Bhili: a drifter who offers Jin and Thara the score of a lifetime—a massive stash of gold hidden in the sunken ruins of Las Vegas.
Jin knows it’s too dangerous. She stopped diving after her father’s accident. But when her sister decides to go, Jin’s left with only one choice: to go with her.
A ragtag crew is assembled—including Jin’s annoyingly hot ex-boyfriend. From there, a high-stakes heist ensues that’s beyond even Jin’s wildest fears. Crumbling ruins, sea beasts, corsairs, and a mysterious figure named João Silva all lie in wait. To survive, Jin will have to do what she promised herself she’d never do again: dive.
I’m curious about how this is fantasy – the blurb doesn’t actually mention any magical elements, unless I missed them? Regardless, I’m both entranced by and terrified of diving, so as I’ll never do it myself, reading adventure stories about it sounds perfect!
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Lebanese-American MC, bi/pansexual MC, gay MC
Published on: 23rd January 2024
Goodreads
This captivating sequel to The Buried and the Bound draws readers into the twisted and irresistible world of the Fair Folk—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Hazel Wood.
As a new coven, Aziza, Leo, and Tristan faced evil and triumphed. All that’s left is to put their lives back together, a process complicated by the fallout from painful secrets, the emotional and physical scars they now carry, and the mysteries that still haunt them.
But with the approach of the solstice comes the arrival of strange new visitors to Blackthorn: the Summer Court, a nomadic community of Fair Folk from deep in Elphame. They’ve journeyed to the border between the human world and fairyland, far from their usual caravan route, to take back something that belongs to them—something Leo’s not willing to lose.
Refusing to give up without a fight, he makes a risky deal with the Summer Court’s princess and regent. The challenge she proposes sends Coven Blackthorn into the farthest, wildest reaches of Elphame.
But when you play games with the Fair Folk, even winning has a cost.
I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Buried and the Bound, even more than I expected to (review here) and I am both excited for and kind of terrified of Summer Queen: anyone who’s read book one knows what the Summer Court must be after, and I have no idea how our cast are going to get out of this one!
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
Published on: 27th January 2024
Goodreads
Roger not only had to prove himself to the Council, he also had to prove himself to Wyndham Wrenwhistle.
Fae and humans alike are returning to London for the Season, but the excitement is marred by the growing poverty rate among humans with low magical scores.
Tenacious Roger Barnes proposes a new rubric for testing magic to the Council, hoping to resolve the predicament for his fellow humans. But when he is paired with Wyndham Wrenwhistle, a dashing fae who has disliked him since childhood, the project seems destined to fail. Even after reaching a tentative truce, their fragile partnership crumbles due to malicious lies.
Adding to the disarray, a popular gossip column unexpectedly announces that Roger and Wyn are engaged. Obliged to go along with the falsehood to save their families from scandal, they are forced to reconcile their differences for the sake of the rubric — and for their impending marriage. As the project bleeds into their wedding plans, the pressure to flawlessly execute both mounts even higher.
Together, they have the chance to solve a crisis decades in the making — but they'll need more than magic to succeed.
I am already massively invested in this rubric, and I am SO here for queernorm historical settings!
Will you be reading any of these? Let me know!
That review of Womb City is interesting because I read an ARC recently and it felt like a complete unedited mess to me… so many grammar mistakes and run-on sentences, along with info dumps with conflicting information. I know you’ve complained about that in past ARCs so I wanted to give you the heads up.
Meep, good to know! Maybe I’ll wait for a few more reviews to come in of the finished edition… Thank you!