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.
FIVE 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, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 4th November 2024
Goodreads
Magic is real, and Viola is going to prove it!
Viola is a Parisian librarian by day and parkourist by night. The last thing she wants is an arranged marriage (ick) with a man (double ick.) If Viola can fund the library and keep it open, she might keep her job and freedom, might being the key word. To make matters worse, strange magical shades keep attacking her, threatening her physical safety. Viola knows magic is real and wants to be part of that world, but she can’t find a way out of her mundane life. She can only vent her troubles to her confidant, a lady gargoyle… though the statue has never spoken back.
Boudicca is a creature without a soul—a fact as steady as the stone she’s made of. Yet when the mage who created Boudicca gives her a task that requires her to appear human, she’s feeling new, soft things for the librarian who likes to climb Paris in her slippers. Viola could never love Boudicca in her true form, but the gargoyle finds herself putting her heart on the line to help keep the library open… and help Viola discover the magic that will pull her into a new world of freedom.
The Librarian’s Gargoyle is a cozy sapphic monster romantasy set in turn-of-the-century Paris.
I have been utterly charmed by this since I first heard about it, and can’t wait to finally read it!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Published on: 4th November 2024
Goodreads
The griffins come to Feierabiand with the early summer warmth, riding the wind out of the heights down to the tender green pastures above the village of Minas Ford. The wind they bring with them is a hard, hot wind, tasting of red dust and hot brass, with nothing of the gentle Feierabiand summer about it. Fire falls from their wings, and below the path of their flight, red sands turn the hills to blazing desert …
Kes, collecting healing herbs in the hills above the village, watches the griffins arrive. Stunned by their beauty, unable to find words to describe them, she says nothing about them at all. Then a tall man with a griffin’s fiery shadow steps into Minas Ford, seeking a girl who possesses a gift for healing, setting into her hands magic, fire, and an impossible choice.
Bertaud, close friend of the king of Feierabiand, knows nothing of griffins, of the desert, of the magic that drove them from their own land into his. When word comes of red sand and hot winds above Minas Ford, his king sends Bertaud to investigate. On his road waits a powerful griffin, a burning wind, and an impossible choice.
The griffins did not ride their desert wind into Feierabiand by their own choice. But here they will make their stand against their enemies. Kes and Bertaud, with nothing in common but an affinity for fire, will have to choose whether to set themselves alongside the griffins or against them, with their own lives and land in terrible peril no matter which choice they make.
Rachel Neumeier is republishing her Griffin-Mage trilogy with new covers (and some slight polishing, but no new content, I believe). This series was my introduction to Neumeier, and I’ve never regretted it! She’s especially superb at writing very alien nonhumans, and the griffins here are fascinating. Highly recommended!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Representation: East Asian-coded MC
Published on: 5th November 2024
Goodreads
A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.
Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells "small" fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences…
Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.
Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.
One of the most hyped Fantasy releases of the year! I’m reading this at the moment, and I think anyone craving cosy fantasy is going to adore it!
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists
Published on: 5th November 2024
Goodreads
Queer as Folklore takes readers across centuries and continents which reveals the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling, magic and fantasy. Featuring images from archives, galleries and museums around the world, each chapter investigates the queer history of different mythic and folkloric characters, both old and new.
Leaving no headstone unturned, Sacha Coward will take you on a wild ride through the night from ancient Greece to the main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race, visiting cross-dressing pirates, radical fairies and the graves of the ‘queerly departed’ along the way. Queer communities have often sought refuge in the shadows, found kinship in the in-between and created safe spaces in underworlds; but these forgotten narratives tell stories of remarkable resilience that deserve to be heard.
Join any Pride march and you are likely to see a glorious display of papier-mâché unicorn heads trailing sequins, drag queens wearing mermaid tails and more fairy wings than you can shake a trident at. But these are not just accessories: they are queer symbols with historic roots.
To truly understand who queer people are today, we must confront the twisted tales of the past and Queer as Folklore is a celebration of queer history like you've never seen it before.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have this, and can confirm it’s great! Very readable, not dry at all, although it’s pretty Western-focussed and spends a good bit of time on the Industrial Age rather than ancient history.
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 7th November 2024
Goodreads
Ghostalker and magician Ropa Moyo returns in this spellbinding fourth instalment of the Edinburgh Nights series by T. L. Huchu.
’Alluring . . . hints of sophisticated academic magic will draw you in'
- Olivie Blake, author of The Atlas Six on The Library of the DeadGhoststalker Ropa Moyo learns a shocking truth about her family. But after she confronts her grandmother with the revelation, Gran is murdered and Ropa is now the prime suspect on top of dealing with her loss.
Ropa races to uncover the real murderer, and soon finds a connection to an old magical cult. They are trying to take control of Scotland by resurrecting an army of the dead, led by a dark lord. She'll have to use all her magic and hard-won skills in her biggest challenge yet.
Praise for the Edinburgh Nights series
'Fast-moving and entertaining . . . Stupendously engaging'
- Ben Aaronovitch, author of the Rivers of London series'I highly recommend The Library of the Dead'
- Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series
The fourth book in the Edinburgh Nights series is out this week in the UK! The US has to wait till next week, alas.
Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!
Leave a Reply