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.
We have SIX books for the first Must-Have Monday of 2025!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Nonbinary MC
Published on: 1st January 2025
Goodreads
In a single conversation, Jes Moran lost a ship, a job, and a marriage. Now, with not much more than a cool head, a few clever scams, and an odd assortment of friends-a seasoned spacer, a washout young pilot, and an alien engineer on the run from a vicious cabal-they might just have a shot at a future.
A rag-tag crew is one thing. A skip-ship cobbled together out of parts rescued from the recycler, though? Well, when you're at the bottom of the ladder, you grab for the rung you can reach.
When a hot tip for a big score finds its way to Jes's ears, a plan starts to come together. But the ship is barely space-worthy, and the crew isn't the only interested party. The cargo could set them up for life if they can get to it in time. It could also make them a target. Everyone is playing for keeps. But there's one thing that nobody bargained
Jes Moran really doesn't like to lose.
I didn’t run a Must-Have Monday last week, so I’m including Common Accord in today’s! I’ve heard very good things about Brindle’s fantasy series and I REALLY want to check out this sci fi! (Not sure if it’s a standalone or the start of a series but I’m into it either way!)
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Portal Fantasy
Representation: Disabled MC
Published on: 7th January 2025
Goodreads
Giant turtles, impossible ships, and tidal rivers ridden by a Drowned girl in search of a family in the latest in the bestselling Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Wayward Children series from Seanan McGuire.
Nadya had three mothers: the one who bore her, the country that poisoned her, and the one who adopted her.
Nadya never considered herself less than whole, not until her adoptive parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm against her will, seeking to replace the one she'd been missing from birth.
It was cumbersome; it was uncomfortable; it was wrong.
It wasn't her.
Frustrated and unable to express why, Nadya began to wander, until the day she fell through a door into Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake--and found herself in a world of water, filled with child-eating amphibians, majestic giant turtles, and impossible ships that sailed as happily beneath the surface as on top. In Belyrreka, she found herself understood for who she was: a Drowned Girl, who had made her way to her real home, accepted by the river and its people.
But even in Belyrreka, there are dangers, and trials, and Nadya would soon find herself fighting to keep hold of everything she had come to treasure.
NEW WAYWARD CHILDREN BOOK THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!1! I’ve seen so much love for this instalment from early readers – like I needed any more reason to be excited!
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: F/F
Published on: 7th January 2025
Goodreads
A hero? A villain? Maybe a little of both in this sapphic mistaken identity romance.
Sadie Eagan lives a fairly humdrum life in Vector City. Working at a coffeehouse is much safer than opening her own café. If only the local Superheroes and Villains would stop crashing through windows and driving up insurance rates. Then she meets her hot new a fit woman with amber eyes, a disarming smile, and an air of mystery. Obviously, this means she’s one of the city’s Superheroes. And dating a literal hero would break the cycle of being with partners who take advantage of her.
Joan Malone does have a secret identity—only she’s Spark, a notorious Supervillain. Shooting fire has always made people afraid of her. She’s been trying to get out of villainy to open a food truck with her twin brother. When her cute and bubbly neighbor assumes Joan’s a Superhero, well, Joan doesn’t correct her. Sadie is the nice girl Joan has dreamt of being with. Though she hates hiding things from someone who understands wanting a better life.
Joan has to keep some rather inept Villains at bay while getting the Supers off her back. And oh yeah, while proving to Sadie not all bad guys are bad and not all heroes are heroic. Not that Sadie’s paying attention—it’s too exciting hanging out with a Superhero.
Only she’s fallen for the bad girl. Again.
A rift with the other Villains forces Joan to choose what she truly wants. Can she be the goodhearted person Sadie thinks she is?
I am so charmed that she wants to open a food truck, somehow that delights me!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 7th January 2025
Goodreads
What if the side quest is really the main quest?
Divine, a healer of the Goddess of Souls, has chased the thief who stole her talisman across half of Trelvania. The talisman is the key to accessing her magic well, and without it, she is powerless. While chasing her betrayer, former girlfriend, and servant of the Goddess of Condemnation, Divine meets Saph, a flirty tavern owner with an eyepatch and a proposition. Saph will help Divine locate her talisman if Divine helps her complete a mysterious quest in a chest.
Inspired by RPGs and set in scenic autumn, prepare for an adventure with gods and goddesses, deceitful exes, axe throwing, and fantastical creatures. Can Divine learn to trust again and find romance in the middle of finding her magic?
Well this sounds adorable, I approve!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: MLM MC
Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Victor Callahan holds a secret as ancient as the shadows.
Employed as a night porter in a quiet Irish nursing home, the teenager watches over a group of men he once knew a long time ago. Victor has orchestrated their reunion for a final farewell, a goodbye to those whose lives have shaped him through the years.
But can he keep his secret from Lakeshore Manor’s oldest resident, James O’Carroll?
As he cares for these remnants of his past, memories of a bygone era haunt him—of wild adventures on the rugged Irish coast, of forbidden love hidden beneath the threat of eternal night, and of a shipwreck that changes everything...Gloria Pinto, the night nurse, doesn’t like him. But maybe she has her own secrets.
THIS IS NOT A VAMPIRE STORY weaves a tale of timeless bonds, the cost of immortality, and the lengths we go to for love.But is love more important than life? Victor is about to find out.
The first I heard about this book was when one of the reviewers I pay attention to was suddenly gushing about it all over my feed, and having looked through other early reviews too, I’m convinced that there’s something very special here!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 10th January 2025
Goodreads
What does masculinity mean to you?
Whether the answer is "toxic" or something more aspirational, speculative fiction can help you find the language to talk about it. The stories in this anthology visualize all the different ways masculinity might look in a world different than our own, for better or worse.
Imagine living in a universe where you'd feel safe telling your best friend you've always loved him, or where smoking hot demons exist to indulge all your worst impulses. From buff aliens to gender-affirming werewolf bites, Dudes Rock is about celebrating everything that queer masculinity can become beyond the confines of a single world, and we want you to rock with us.
Featuring stories by Chase Anderson, Johannes T. Evans, Oliver Fosten, Jonathan Freeman, Rick Hollon, Sam Inverts, S. C. Mills, Franklyn S. Newton, Jay Kang Romanus, Aubrey Shaw, Simo Srinivas, Candy Tan, and Scott Vaughn.
Some of my fave indie authors are in this, which would be more than enough reason to pounce on it even if the topic was not also interesting!
Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!
Leave a Reply