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.
SIXTEEN books this week!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 9th September 2024
Goodreads
A new, collectable anthology of futurist reads, featuring solarpunk stories to give a hope that empowers individuals and communities to work together for a better future.
In this near future anthology, Solarpunk explores the many ways individuals and resilient groups can fight gentrification, expropriation, abuse and loss of identity, starting within local communities, ultimately to embrace the whole world.
Solarpunk traces a path, rough and tortuous, towards a change now perceived by many as a necessity. “Nobody will give us the future” – seem to say these short stories edited by Future Fiction's Francesco Verso. Solarpunk brings stories without borders, from across the Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, the UK and USA. Authors are Jerri Jerreat, Ken Liu, Thomas Badlan, Ciro Faienza, Brenda Cooper, Renan Bernardo, Jennifer L. Rossman, Sarena Ulibarri, Gustavo Bondoni, Lucie Lukacovicova, Ingrid Garcia, Andrew Dana Hudson and D.K. Mok.
The Flame Tree Beyond and Within short story collections bring together tales of myth and imagination by modern and contemporary writers, carefully selected by anthologists, and sometimes featuring short stories from a single author. Overall, the series presents a wide range of diverse and inclusive voices with myth, folkloric-inflected short fiction, and an emphasis on the supernatural, science fiction, the mysterious and the speculative. The books themselves are gorgeous, with foiled covers, printed edges and published only in hardcover editions, offering a lifetime of reading pleasure.
Solarpunk is one of my favourite genres, but also one I hardly ever find! Hoping to find some new auto-buy authors in this collection.
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Bisexual MC with anxiety
Published on: 9th September 2024
Goodreads
Flora has spent her entire life hiding in the trees and ignoring the cursed, poisonous larkspur growing from her ankle and eating away at her life. She lets her anxiety and fear control her, but fate forces her hand when her adopted mother is kidnapped by a cruel witch. The only way to save her is to find the magic shards of her family’s amulet scattered throughout her land.
With no time to waste, Flora sets out with her best friend, and along the way they meet a darkly intriguing stranger. But Flora is running out of time and can’t succumb to distractions. If she trusts the wrong person or lets her anxiety win, Flora risks losing more than just her mother …
Apparently the magic in this is inspired by Icelandic traditions??? Which I know almost nothing about, so this should be fun!
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Brown sapphic MC
Published on: 10th September 2024
Goodreads
A queer, Caribbean, anti-colonial sci-fi novella, inspired by the Count of Monte Cristo, in which a betrayed captain seeks revenge on the interplanetary empire that subjugated her people for generations.
Virika Sameroo lives in colonized space under the Æerbot Empire, much like her ancestors before her in the British West Indies. After years of working hard to rise through the ranks of the empire’s merchant marine, she’s finally become first lieutenant on an interstellar cargo vessel.
When her captain dies under suspicious circumstances, Virika is arrested for murder and charged with treason despite her lifelong loyalty to the empire. Her conviction and subsequent imprisonment set her on a path to justice, determined to take down the evil empire that wronged her, all while the fate of her people hangs in the balance.
Labour solidarity ftw! That’s apparently a big part of the conflict in this novella, which I think is a good sign. I know next to nothing about Monte Cristo, but anti-imperialism/colonialism in space?! Yes please!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 10th September 2024
Goodreads
A dark, heart-thumping political epic fantasy by debut author Amy Leow—full of scheming demons, morally grey heroines, talking cats, and cut-throat priests, this delicious tale of power and corruption will captivate from beginning to end.
Binsa is a “living goddess,” chosen by the gods to dispense both mercy and punishment from her place on the Scarlet Throne. But her reign hides a deadly secret. Rather than channeling the wisdom of an immortal deity, she harbors a demon.
But now her priests are growing suspicious. When a new girl, Medha, is selected to take over her position, Binsa and her demon strike a deal: To magnify his power and help her wrest control from the priests, she will sacrifice human lives. She’ll do anything not to end up back on the streets, forgotten and alone. But how much of her humanity is she willing to trade in her quest for power? Deals with demons are rarely so simple.
I’ve been looking forward to this one for AGES, and I’m hoping so hard that it’s as excellent as it sounds!
You can read an excerpt here!
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Historical Fantasy
Representation: F/F
Published on: 10th September 2024
Goodreads
In this epic and seductive gothic fantasy, a vampire escapes the thrall of Dracula and embarks on her own search for self-discovery and true love.
Her name was written in the pages of someone else's story: Lucy Westenra was one of Dracula's first victims.
But her death was only the beginning. Lucy rose from the grave a vampire, and has spent her immortal life trying to escape from Dracula's clutches--and trying to discover who she really is and what she truly wants.
Her undead life takes an unexpected turn when, in twenty-first-century London, she meets another woman who is also yearning to break free from her past. Iris’s family has built a health empire based on a sinister secret, and they’ll do anything to stay in power.
Lucy has long believed she would never love again. But she finds herself compelled by the charming Iris, while Iris is mesmerized by the confident and glamorous Lucy. But their intense connection and blossoming love is threatened by forces from without. Iris's mother won't let go of her without a fight, and Lucy's past still has fangs: Dracula is on the prowl again.
Lucy Westenra has been a tragically murdered teen, a lonesome adventurer, and a fearsome hunter, but happiness always eluded her. Can she find the strength to destroy Dracula once and for all, or will her heart once again be her undoing?
Listen, all you need to know about this book is that it contains the line ‘Dracula usually kept three brides, but they lost one in transit.’ YES, I’m sold, gimme!
You can read one excerpt here and another here!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 10th September 2024
Goodreads
The world of the Five Nations is ruled by Elementals, those chosen few capable of controlling earth, air, fire, and water, but it is the Paths of the Shadow Realm that link the nations, navigated by the mysterious Shadow Riders.
Courier Shay Kendrith carries precious goods and crucial documents for the Crown, a solitary and dangerous life that takes her from one end of the world to the other. The last thing she ever expected to discover while traveling the Realm is an Elemental fighting for her life against the deadly wraiths inhabiting the Shadows.
As an Undine, Marshal Keagan Riley wields water, using her abilities to protect and serve the Crown. Being drawn into the Shadow Realm with Shay begins a harrowing journey that will lead them to the Elemental Stones, previously lost to history, but uncovered by unknown forces that may destroy everything they’ve sworn to protect.
In the Shadows, one can easily find death, but can Shay and Keagan find love as they fight to save the Five Nations?
I usually don’t find four-element magics very interesting (A:TLA being one obvious exception!) but couriers fascinate me, so I’m willing to give this a try. Let’s cross our fingers for some interesting worldbuilding!
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Polyamory
Published on: 10th September 2024
Goodreads
This World is Not Yours by USA Today bestseller Kemi Ashing-Giwa is the perfect blend of S.A. Barnes' space horror and Cassandra Khaw's beautiful but macabre worlds. An action-packed, inventive novella about a toxic polycule consumed by jealousy and their attempts to survive on a hostile planet.
After fleeing her controlling and murderous family with her fiancée Vinh, Amara embarks on a colonization project, New Belaforme, along with her childhood friend, Jesse.
The planet, beautiful and lethal, produces the Gray, a “self-cleaning” mechanism that New Belaforme’s scientists are certain only attacks invasive organisms, consuming them. Humans have been careful to do nothing to call attention to themselves until a rival colony wakes the Gray.
As Amara, Vinh, and Jesse work to carve out a new life together, each is haunted by past betrayals that surface, expounded by the need to survive the rival colony and the planet itself.
There’s more than one way to be eaten alive.
WELP, that cover’s already giving me nightmares! This World Is Not Yours caught my attention when Ashing-Giwa promised us polyamorous horror – specifically a toxic polycule facing off against horrors. Which sounds like SO MUCH fun. Definitely checking it out, definitely not promising I can handle it!
You can read an excerpt here!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy
Published on: 10th September 2024
Goodreads
A woman who returns to her hometown to investigate her childhood friend’s disappearance soon finds herself embroiled in a deadly web of half truths, cover-ups, and dark magic.
On the surface, Liv Edwards has a near-perfect life—a handsome new fiancé, an apartment in Boston, and plans to launch a career in law. No one would suspect how hard she’s worked to conceal the strange darkness that often bubbles up inside her. But Liv’s polished façade threatens to crack with the arrival of a letter from her childhood best friend, Sam. The chilling message is folded into the shape of a heart like the notes they passed in high school: I need help.
Liv is still haunted by what she did to destroy her friendship with Sam. High school was hard enough without having to start over in a new town, but with Sam, Liv grew into herself like never before. Now Liv resolves to do right by Sam—except when she returns to her small New England hometown, she is too late.
Sam has disappeared and clues suggest foul play. To add to the mystery, Sam has transformed over the years, living with the odd girls from high school, Eden and Cora, and working at their esteemed bridal boutique. Liv reconnects with them in search of answers. With couture gowns, exquisite cakes, and a glittering display room, these women make fairy tales come to life, and Liv, too, can be a part of it all. But as Eden and Cora teach her to harness the qualities that have always made her feel different, Liv discovers that a much darker reality may be lurking beneath the satin and pearls—and within herself.
I didn’t note down why, but this one’s been on my ‘books to wash out for’ list since Cerra’s previous book was announced – and I don’t ignore past!Sia’s advice on books! So on the tbr it goes…
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Representation: Black MC, autistic-coded love interest, minor nonbinary characters
Published on: 10th September 2024
Goodreads
Marca Nbaro had always dreamed of serving aboard the Greatships, with their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city.
They are the lifeblood of human-occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume - and value - of goods from City, the greatest human orbital, all the way to Tradepoint at the other, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species.
And now, out in the darkness of space, something is targeting them.
Nbaro and her friends are close to locating their enemy, in this gripping sequel to the award-nominated Artifact Space, but they are running out of time - and their allies are running out of patience . . .
Written by one of the most exciting new voices in SF, this space thriller will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
I think this might be my favourite ongoing sci fi series right now! Deep Black is the phenomenal sequel to the amazing Artifact Space, upping the stakes immensely and blowing me away with the worldbuilding. Love love LOVE!
Genres: Adult, Speculative Fiction
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 10th September 2024
Goodreads
In this exquisite speculative novel set in a world where white people no longer exist, college professor Charlie Brunton receives a call from his estranged daughter Sidney, setting off a chain of events as they journey across a truly “post-racial” America in search of answers.
One day, a cataclysmic event occurs: all of the white people in America walk into the nearest body of water. A year later, Charles Brunton is a Black man living in an entirely new world. Having served time in prison for a wrongful conviction, he’s now a professor of electric and solar power systems at Howard University when he receives a call from someone he wasn’t even sure existed: his daughter Sidney, a nineteen-year-old who watched her white mother and step-family drown themselves in the lake behind their house.
Traumatized by the event, and terrified of the outside world, Sidney has spent a year in isolation in Wisconsin. Desperate for help, she turns to the father she never met, a man she has always resented. Sidney and Charlie meet for the first time as they embark on a journey across America headed for Alabama, where Sidney believes she may still have some family left. But neither Sidney or Charlie is prepared for this new world and how they see themselves in it.
When they enter the Kingdom of Alabama, everything Charlie and Sidney thought they knew about themselves, and the world, will be turned upside down. Brimming with heart and humor, Cebo Campbell’s astonishing debut novel is about the power of community and connection, about healing and self-actualization, and a reckoning with what it means to be Black in America, in both their world and ours.
Sounds very interesting! A USA without white people??? PLEASE let us see some worldbuilding, and not just be all lit-fic style…
Genres: Horror, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Trans MCs
Published on: 10th September 2024
Goodreads
Erin and Max are two trans kids who are just trying to get to California. Max is desperate to finally be able to transition, and Erin is longing to understand why she’s on this trip to begin with, after Max suddenly broke up with her two years earlier.
But when they find themselves stranded - and eventually separated - in the creepy woods of rural middle-America, they suddenly have much bigger problems.
First, there’s the creature that, according to legend, feeds on girls, hunting them through the shadows. And then there are the locals, who are searching for a female sacrifice. If either of them hope to survive to see the sunrise, Erin and Max will have to come together and stop running: from their attackers, from each other, and, ultimately, from themselves.
It’s about TIME someone gave us a victims-of-a-specific-gender monster faced with trans people! THANK YOU KISNER! Now to find out if the monster is a bigot or an ally… What even is that sentence XD
You can read an excerpt at the publisher’s page!
Genres: Fantasy, Portal Fantasy, MG
Published on: 14th September 2023
Goodreads
The day Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago, a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years—until now. And it’s the day he met Mal, a girl on the run who desperately needs his help.
Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: No one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.
I’ve been buddy-reading the UK edition of this with one of my little sisters, and we both love it! Beautiful illustrations (I think the American edition will have even more) and a really wonderful setting. Rundell’s invented a bunch of magical beasties to go with the ones you’ll recognise, and she’s great at making the magic feel unique – like Mal’s flying coat!
More importantly, it doesn’t talk down to its audience. Sad, scary things happen in this one alongside the adventure, and there’s lots of deep, poignant Stuff woven in very subtly. I approve immensely.
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Portal Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sephardic Jewish cast, MLM MC, disabled queer MC, elderly MCs
Published on: 12th September 2024
Goodreads
Peace in one world always comes at a cost to the other.
Toba and Naftaly’s lives changed forever when Toba discovered the mirrored world of the Maziks beyond the Pomegranate Gate. In their search for answers, they must find their own ways to the wonderous and powerful neighbouring republic of Zayit. A magnificent city overflowing with olives, spices and salt—but not the safe haven they need. The republic has turned its back on fleeing Jewish and Mazik refugees, and is closing its ears to warnings of war.
Meanwhile, the tyrannical Mazik King Tarses is building his army to cross the sea to Zayit. With time running out, and his visions growing worse, Naftaly must convince his beloved Barsilay to rally the armies of the world and accept his role as the true heir to the throne. But Barsilay resents the fate that’s been thrust upon him.
Toba knows that Zayit's fate is only the beginning: she must discover her own destiny to defeat Tarses by restoring the balance between worlds.
Unlikely alliances must be forged, impossible myths must be made real, and the city of Luz must be brought back from the depths of the sea.
I confess, I didn’t enjoy Republic, which is a shame because the first book in this trilogy was sublime. But it’s possible that my own bad headspace coloured my reading experience – I’m hoping it was just that, and I’ll enjoy this more when I reread it. At worst, most other readers seem to love it, so just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean you won’t!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Published on: 12th September 2024
Goodreads
The Bear and the Nightingale meets Poldark in this stunning historical fantasy debut where folklore battles faith in 18th century Cornwall.
Cornwall, 1786.
For years, the villagers of Mirecoombe have turned to their Keeper, the old and battle-scarred Lord Pelagius Hunt, mediator between the worlds of men and fey, for help. But this is a time of change. Belief in the old ways, in the piskies and spriggans, has dimmed, kindled instead in the Reverend Cleaver's fiery pulpit. His church stands proud above the mire; God's name is whispered, hushed, loved. And now, death stalks Mirecoombe on the moor. There are corpses in the heather. There is blood in the gorse.
Nancy Bligh is determined to do what Pel will not: maintain the balance between the fey and the human world, be the Keeper that he refuses to be. Blessed with natural sight, friend to spriggans, piskies and human locals of Mirecoombe, Nancy has power that Pel never had and never lets her use. But as Mirecoombe falls into darkness, perhaps her time has come.
A poignant and lyrical examination of faith, love and grief, Gorse asks: what do we choose to believe in, and how does that shape who we are?
Cornish folklore reimagined in a unique prose style. Got to read this one early and I’m already looking forward to the sequel!
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 12th September 2024
Goodreads
During the Decade of Plagues, pandemics brought civilization to a standstill. The only way out was the Aspis chip: a wearable mRNA vaccine factory, able to immunize you against new viruses on the fly. But not everyone wanted it. They created an open alternative: Darkome, an underground community of biohackers modifying their own genes and bodies.
Inara came of age in a Darkome village - but only an Aspis could keep her rare cancer in check, updating her immune system at a pace with her cancer's evolution. Accepting it went against everything Darkome stood for. She had to choose between her community and her life.
Now Inara's Aspis appears to have malfunctioned. She can edit her own DNA to be stronger, faster, smarter. It could be the genetic breakthrough of the millennium, but only if she can figure out how it works . . . and to stay ahead of those who will stop at nothing to possess her secret. Pursued by Aspis, Darkome radicals and the government, her new abilities may be the only way for Inara to survive. But they may cost her everything, including her humanity.
From another author this premise probably wouldn’t interest me much, but Rajaniemi’s Summerland is one of my all time faves, and I’ve been waiting for his next novel! Here’s hoping he knocks this one out of the park, too.
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Trans MC, F/F
Published on: 14th September 2024
Goodreads
Lila’s life is almost perfect.
She’s finally opened her luxury sex shop and wellness center in a rehabilitated ancient temple. The painted faces are lining up to buy the new alchemical vibrators and unwind in the spa and baths. And she gets to work with her two best friends every day.
So why is there an empty place in her chest?
Enter Avisse, the delivery woman, a single mom with a quick smile and eyes that flash from hard to soft in an instant. There’s a spark, and a kiss, and a promise of dinner next time Avisse is in town.
Until then, Lila’s got her hands full with the shop, not to mention the mystic portal she’s discovered in the temple basement. What lies beyond will turn their lives—and the World Within—inside out.
This steamy sapphic fantasy romance stars a transfeminine heroine and includes meditation magic, alchemical trans healthcare, and family lost & found.
The World Within is intended for an adult audience. Content warnings include explicit, consensual sex scenes, societal transphobia, and child peril.
It’s set in the Weirdwater universe and includes some characters from The Living Waters and Unpainted but is meant as a standalone.
Finn’s Weirdwater setting has been high on my tbr for ages – a standalone in that verse seems like the perfect place to start! And if you tell me you’re NOT interested in what a sex shop in a fantasy setting looks like, I won’t believe you for a SECOND!
Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!
I know you normally only review books and stuff. But I think there’s an awesome horror urban fantasy queer Indie animation called Hunter: The Parenting that I think you would love!
Honestly it has some of the best dialogue I’ve ever seen in a piece of media. And it doesn’t skimp out on delivering some truly creepy and horrifying moments!
I don’t know if you’re open to reviewing media that isn’t books on this website at least. But I definitely think you should watch the series, cause, one hundred to one I think you’ll adore the characters. Plus, all of the videos are free on YouTube.
I doubt I’ll review it, I have no intention of trying to start reviewing tv/film. But I’ll add it to the list of things I need to watch, thanks!