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.
TEN books this week!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Korean cast
Published on: 9th July 2024
Goodreads
Before the Coffee Gets Cold meets Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore in this whimsical, poignant novel about the inner workings of a department store that sells dreams
THE #1 KOREAN BESTSELLER WITH OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD
In a mysterious town that lies hidden in our collective subconscious, there's a quaint little store where all kinds of dreams are sold ...
Day and night, visitors both human and animal from all over the world shuffle in sleepily in their pyjamas, lining up to purchase their latest adventure. Each floor in the department store sells a special kind of dream, including nostalgic dreams about your childhood, trips you've taken, and delicious food you've eaten, as well as nightmares and more mysterious dreams.
In Dallergut Dream Department Store we meet Penny an enthusiastic new hire; Dallergut, the flamboyant owner of the department store; Agnap Coco, producer of special dreams; Vigo Myers, an employee in the mystery department as well as a cast of curious, funny and strange clientele who regularly visit the store. When one of the most coveted and expensive dreams gets stolen during Penny's first week, we follow along with her as she tries to uncover the workings of this wonderfully whimsical world.
A captivating story that will leave a lingering magical feeling in readers' minds, this is the first book in a bestselling duology for anyone exhausted from the reality of their daily life.
This English translation was published in the UK last year, and now it’s being released in the US! I still love this premise so much; imagine getting to shop for dreams!
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Queer Korean MC, Egyptian/Middle Eastern(?) MC
Published on: 9th July 2024
Goodreads
What does it mean to be human in a world where technology is quickly catching up to biology?
In a near-future world, a new technological therapy is quickly eradicating cancer: The body’s cells are entirely replaced with nanites—robot or android cells that not only cure those afflicted but leave them virtually immortal. At the same time, literary researcher Yonghun teaches an AI how to understand poetry and creates a living, thinking machine he names Panit, meaning "Beloved," in honor of his husband. When Dr. Beeko, who holds the patent to the nano-therapy technology, learns of Panit, he transfers its consciousness into an android body, giving it freedom and life. As Yonghun, Panit, and other nano humans thrive—and begin to replicate—their development will lead them to a crossroads and a choice with existential consequences.
Apparently this spans centuries, which is always interesting – especially since this is told in journal entries and things. I love that when it works, and the early reviews have been very promising!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Sapphic MC
Published on: 9th July 2024
Goodreads
"Murphy debuts with a wonderfully cozy queer fantasy...There's humor aplenty alongside the gore and action and the sweet romance between Clara and Morgan enhances the gripping plot. This quirky outing satisfies." Publishers Weekly
Clara Blakely has left her days as Miss Take, the notorious villain of Victorian London, behind her. She is a reformed, law-abiding citizen using the superpower given to her by industrial pollution to pay her debt to society. Or that’s what she would have the authorities believe. Clara has no intention of helping anyone but herself, and the last thing she wants is to be dragged into a fight against a new and murderous evil that’s stalking the streets.
Yet, despite the Hero Brigade thwarting her every move, she must take on the city’s powerful and corrupt elite by joining forces with a cheat, her hapless landlord, and a trio of trained killers, including an assassin whose skill with a knife is matched only by their skill at creeping into Clara’s heart. With stakes so high, Clara must become what no one, least of all herself, expects: a hero.
Enola Holmes meets X-Men meets Warrior Nun in this action-adventure sapphic fantasy with elements of sci-fi and steampunk. Filled with gallows humor, ridiculous violence, CGI-ready monsters, and tantalizing romance, get ready for the snarky and sassy Miss Take in this reimagining of Victorian Britain.
I mean, this just sounds FUN. Plus, a school for assassins is involved somehow? Yes please!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Bi/pansexual MC, polyamory
Published on: 9th July 2024
Goodreads
From the acclaimed author of the Chorus of Dragons series, this propulsive new standalone fantasy is Dragonriders of Pern for a modern audience.
Enter a world ruled by dragons…
Anahrod lives only for survival, preferring to thrive in the jungles of the Deep with the titan drake she keeps by her side. When an adventuring party saves her from capture by the local warlord, Sicaryon, she is eager to return to her solitary life, but this is no ordinary rescue. Anahrod's past has caught up with her. And these cunning misfits intend to spirit her away to the cloud cities, where they need her help to steal from a dragon’s hoard.
There’s only one in the cloud cities, dragons rule, and the hoard in question belongs to the current regent, Neveranimas―and she wants Anahrod dead.
Fans of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series and Rebecca Yarros's The Fourth Wing will enjoy this page-turning adventure with conniving dragons, high-stakes intrigue, a daring heist, and a little bit of heat.
My book-bestie adored this one, so I’m looking forward to trying it out for myself! And given how interesting the dragons in Lyons’ debut series were, I’m VERY intrigued to see her newest take on them.
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Representation: Member of a fictional minority MC
Published on: 9th July 2024
Goodreads
"This Great Hemisphere is an inventive and immersive epic that follows its brave invisible protagonist as she navigates a futuristic new world that often mirrors our own. A thrilling page-turner." —Brit Bennett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half
From the award-winning and bestselling author of Black Buck: A speculative novel about a young woman—invisible by birth and relegated to second-class citizenship—who sets off on a mission to find her older brother, whom she had presumed dead but who is now the primary suspect in a high-profile political murder.
Despite the odds, Sweetmint, a young invisible woman, has done everything right her entire life—school, university, and now a highly sought-after apprenticeship with the Northwestern Hemisphere’s premier inventor, a non-invisible man belonging to the Dominant Population who is as eccentric as he is enigmatic. But the world she has fought so hard to build after the disappearance of her older brother comes crashing down when authorities claim that not only is he well and alive, he’s also the main suspect in the murder of the Chief Executive of the Northwestern Hemisphere.
A manhunt ensues, and Sweetmint, armed with courage, intellect, and unwavering love for her brother, sets off on a mission to find him before it’s too late. With five days until the hemisphere’s big election, Sweetmint must dodge a relentless law officer who’s determined to maintain order and an ambitious politician with sights set on becoming the next Chief Executive by any means necessary.
With the captivating worldbuilding of N. K. Jemisin’s novels and blazing defiance of Naomi Alderman’s work, This Great Hemisphere is a novel that brilliantly illustrates the degree to which reality can be shaped by non-truths and vicious manipulations, while shining a light on our ability to surprise ourselves when we stop giving in to the narratives others have written for us.
A whole demographic of literally invisible people??? I am immediately MASSIVELY interested in the worldbuilding here, which many early reviews have assured me is excellent!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Minor F/F, minor nonbinary character
Published on: 9th July 2024
Goodreads
The Spellshop is a cottagecore cosy fantasy following a woman's unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over . . .
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She’s hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.
The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.
Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune, The Spellshop is a romantic and cosy fantasy.
A very cosy fantasy indeed, with much whimsy and indulgence and loveliness! And a surprisingly snarky sentient spider plant. And merhorses! Enthusiastically recommended for anyone looking for a hot chocolate read where everything is guaranteed to always end well.
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Representation: South Indian setting and cast
Published on: 9th July 2024
Goodreads
A young technomancer teams up with a handsome thief to save her sister in this propulsive, magic-filled young adult fantasy that is perfect for fans of Gearbreakers and Iron Widow.
Adya wants nothing more than to be left alone. Content to be loyal to no one but herself in the isolated jungles of South India, she dreams only of finding her lost sister, Priya, and making enough money to take care of their family. It’s too bad that her rare ability to wake electric machines—using the magic that wiped them out five centuries ago—also makes her a coveted political pawn. Everyone seems to believe that her technomancy can help them win the endless war for control over the magic’s supernatural source.
These senseless power struggles mean little to Adya. But when her enemies dangle news of her sister before her, she’s all too quick to leap at the chance to bring Priya home—even if it means teaming up with a rakish, disreputable thief in order to do it. With the threat of invasion looming ever larger on the horizon, Adya must reconcile the kind of person she is with the kind of person she wants to be and untangle the web of intrigue, conspiracy, and deceit that threatens to take all of India down with it.
The reviews on this one are a bit mixed, but I’m still want to check it out – technomancy is one of the most fascinating superpowers/magical abilities, imo, and I don’t see it nearly often enough! Fingers crossed this iteration turns out awesome.
Genres: Adult, Horror
Representation: BIPOC MCs
Published on: 10th July 2024
Goodreads
Welcome to a world of horror viewed through a kaleidoscope lens. Embark on a journey to untangle the writhing tendrils of human terror in a dimension where the possible and impossible blend-an unstable realm where comfort can be found in the coldest pits, and dark gods feast upon the sweetest suffering-where infernal sounds birth silent letters that drift along midnight shores and the unexplained lurks beneath crumbling urban structures. Step over the edge of what you think you know, and find yourself...Beyond the Bounds of Infinity!
Featuring stories by L. Marie Wood, S.A. Cosby, Jessica McHugh, and Mary SanGiovanni-alongside newer voices like Cassius Kilroy, Jessica L. Sparrow, and Vicky Velvet-Beyond the Bounds of Infinity offers a collection of weird fiction and cosmic horror stories that are diverse down to the cellular level. From Taíno folk horror to the horror of identity in a world that just doesn't understand, from cozy to apocalyptic, and everything in between, let these authors show you what fear really is, and what it means to them.
Are you brave enough to step into the madness that awaits within these pages?
Oh this sounds FREAKING EXCELLENT! And likely to give me nightmares, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take!
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 11th July 2024
Goodreads
June 25th, 1760
Jean-Baptiste,
Before I begin, I want to assure you that I am fine—in fact, you could say I am in quite good spirits considering recent events!
I’m afraid I found myself in quite the predicament—but it’s been sorted out now. My ship was boarded by a group of what I soon learned were pirates…After Wilford Bowen is denied entry into the Royal Society of London, he sets off on a mission to discover natural marvels and earn his place in the scientific community. But his mission is off to a rocky start when he’s kidnapped by pirates, encounters parasitic wasps, and a host of other incredible Eldritch creatures. On the high seas, Wilford will need to find support within his new crew, survive dangerous encounters, collect scientific evidence of impossible beasts, all while tangling with his own complicated feelings for the friend he left Jean Baptiste de Beaupré.
With every new discovery, a new mystery is unveiled and Wilford is left wondering if the greatest secret is perhaps what is hiding in the treasure room.
Pitched as Our Flag Means Death meets Lovecraft Country
Queer longing and eldritch monsters in epistolary form? Um, hells yes! This is definitely going to be a weird one, and I am definitely here for it!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: MLM Chinese MC, mlm MC
Published on: 11th July 2024
Goodreads
The hilarious first novel in a cosy and inclusive historical romantasy series by the writer of Horrible Histories
In an alternative Elizabethan London, Upper London residents Fang and Lazare awake from their deaths to discover they are not quite human anymore. In fact, despite having acquired the power of immortality, they’re also not quite vampire, zombie, werewolf or any of the other supernatural beings that reside in the underground city of Deep London. Thrown together by the curse they share, the two strangers set out to reverse the spell, all the while trying to ignore the intense connection between them. As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they unearth a dangerous plot which they appear to be right in the middle of…
I didn’t enjoy the samples of this one – the writing style isn’t to my stupidly picky taste – but I think lots of other readers will find it really fun! And I still want that cover as a poster on my wall…
Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!
Leave a Reply