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.
EIGHT 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: M/M
Published on: 8th April 2025
Goodreads
From award-winning author Nghi Vo comes Don't Sleep with the Dead, a standalone companion novella to The Chosen and the Beautiful, her acclaimed reimagining of The Great Gatsby.
Nick Carraway―paper soldier and novelist―has found a life and a living watching the mad magical spectacle of New York high society in the late thirties. He's good at watching, and he's even better at pretending: pretending to be straight, pretending to be human, pretending he's forgotten the events of that summer in 1922.
On the eve of the second World War, however, Nick learns that someone's been watching him pretend and that memory goes both ways. When he sees a familiar face at a club one night, it quickly becomes clear that dead or not, damned or not, Jay Gatsby isn't done with him.
In all paper there is memory, and Nick's ghost has come home.
NEW NGHI VO NEW NGHI VO!!! Two Nghi Vo books in one year, we are SPOILED! Don’t Sleep With the Dead is a companion to The Chosen and the Beautiful, Vo’s Great Gatsby retelling from back in 2021. I am SO EAGER to dive into Vo’s incredible prose again!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
Published on: 8th April 2025
Goodreads
"A page-turning thrill ride."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
In the waning days of World War One, William Somerset Maugham-novelist, playwright, and spy-is sent to Romania to serve allied interests in the fight against Austro-Hungary while dying of tuberculosis. His handler sets him to recruit mysterious Carpathian nobleman Walter Roşu to the cause. But Roşu is more interested in William than the war, and William struggles to fulfill his duty in the face of death and desire.
Donnelly is one of my favourite authors and it is a THRILL to be getting a new book from her!!! Besides, queer spies+vampires? I’d be interested even if it wasn’t Donnelly!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Published on: 8th April 2025
Goodreads
Whilst foraging for startleflower, perfumer Grace finds herself pursued by ruffians and rescued by a handsome paladin in shining armour. Only, to outwit her hunters they must pretend to be doing something very unrespectable in an alleyway.
Stephen, a broken paladin, spends his time knitting socks and working as a bodyguard, living only for the chance to be useful. But that all changes when he saves Grace and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now, Stephen and Grace must navigate a web of treachery and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind.
T Kingfisher’s Saint of Steel books are getting gorgeous trad-pubbed editions in the UK! I approve IMMENSELY, not least because this is one of my all-time favourite series!!! If you haven’t read these yet then why haven’t you this is a most excellent time to start!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Published on: 8th April 2025
Goodreads
From two-time Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Paladin's Strength, the perfect blend of cosy fantasy romance and classic fantasy adventure featuring an order of secretive nuns, a swashbuckling paladin and a strange hive of rabbits.
He’s a paladin of a dead god, tracking a supernatural killer across a continent. She’s a nun from a secretive order, on the trail of the raiders who burned her convent and kidnapped her sisters.
When their paths cross at the point of a sword, Istvhan and Clara will be pitched headlong into each other’s quests, facing off against enemies both living and dead. But Clara has a secret that could jeopardize the growing trust between them, a secret that will lead them to the gladiatorial pits of a corrupt city, and beyond...
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
Published on: 8th April 2025
Goodreads
From two-time Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes a darkly cosy queer fantasy romance with a thrilling murder mystery, set in the same world as Paladin's Grace and Swordheart.
Piper is a lich-doctor, a physician who works among the dead, determining causes of death for the city guard's investigations. It's a peaceful, if solitary profession…until the day when he's called to the river to examine the latest in a series of mysterious bodies, mangled by some unknown force.
Galen is a paladin of a dead god, lost to holiness and no longer entirely sane. He has long since given up on any hope of love. But when the two men and a brave gnole constable are drawn into the web of the mysterious killer, it's Galen's job to protect Piper from the traps that await them.
He's just not sure if he can protect Piper from the most dangerous threat of all…
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Published on: 8th April 2025
Goodreads
Marguerite Florian is a spy with two problems. A former employer wants her dead, and one of her new bodyguards is a far too good-looking paladin with a martyr complex.
Shane is a paladin with three problems. His god is dead, his client is much too attractive for his peace of mind, and a powerful organization is trying to have them both killed.
Add in a brilliant artificer with a device that may change the world, a glittering and dangerous court, and a demon-led cult, and Shane and Marguerite will be lucky to escape with their souls intact, never mind their hearts…
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy
Published on: 8th April 2025
Goodreads
PREORDER SPECIAL REGULAR PRICE ON PUBLICATION $9.99
"Dawn’s experience as a music writer comes through in her vibrant, authentic portrayal of the band’s sound and interpersonal dynamic. This fresh spin on favorite urban fantasy tropes will delight fans of Charles de Lint. "—Publishers Weekly
Childhood friends Patrick, Ciaran, and Malachi would've been happy to play music for coins on the streets of Dublin, but when their sound – a blend of traditional tunes and rock styling – lands them a record deal, they also get their first tour of America. As they gather fans, however, they also get the attention of three sídhe, fairies straight out of Irish tradition who play by their own rules.
Mal finds himself beleaguered by a prankster whose malicious tricks make him think he's losing his mind, while Ciaran falls hard for a hanger-on whose primal sexuality saps the life from him. Patrick can save them – if he's willing to trust the superstitions he learned during a painful childhood he thought he'd left behind long ago.
But the only thing that matters more than music to Patrick? His friends.
The Only Song Worth Singing is an upmarket mythic novel about blood, craic, and rock and roll. Set in the 90s at the height of the Celtic rock boom, it should appeal to fans of Alex Bledsoe and Alice Hoffman alike.
"The heart of Daisy Jones and the Six with the soul of A Court of Thorns and Roses…. A scintillating plot and an emotional wallop."—Aidan Prewett, author of Woodstock at 50: Anatomy of a Revolution
"Blends myth with the power of music and a brotherly bond to tell a story that's suspenseful and extremely romantic in all possible directions. I loved it!"—Delia Sherman, award-winning author of The Porcelain Dove
"Randee Dawn’s rich Hiberno-English narrative—interspersed with Irish Gaelic—brings The Only Song Worth Singing a vibrant dimension without affectation. Music is a living thing that makes magic feel real – and Dawn knocks this elusive aspect out of the park. Her story of a touring band provides an authentic illustration of the hardships and joys of the road, including the interpersonal tension between band members. Her story proves that whether in speech, song – or a work of fiction – words have tremendous power." —Beth W. Patterson, award-winning recording artist, road warrior, film music infiltrator
"A dark, parasitical fairy tale, The Only Song Worth Singing is sex, myth, and rock and roll all the way down to its bass-beating heart. It’s a story of faith, friendship, and brotherhood — of learning your roots, and finding your place, even if that means standing between one world and the next." — C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Saint Death’s Daughter
"With The Only Song Worth Singing, Dawn has crafted a sweeping epic that takes you from a thatched cottage in the countryside, to the bustle and glam of New York, to the green and magical place where it all began, against the backdrop of Irish folklore. Truly a magical, musical, must-read."—Jennifer Allis Provost, author of The Poison Garden
"When you hear a song you love so much that you wish you could live inside it for weeks, feeling it rush through you and touch you in ways only art can, this book can scratch that itch with long nails."—Meg Elison, award-winning author of Number One Fan
Irish mythology AND Irish music! As someone who misses both, I have high hopes for this one!
Genres: Magical Realism
Published on: 9th April 2025
Goodreads
A talismanic prayer rug subtly weaves together the lives of a unique cast of characters in this magic realist novel, which traverses space and time, culture and era, where nothing is quite as it seems.
In twenty-first century London Howra is on a quest to weave together the dark and broken strands of her past. Giles, a university professor, is – unknowingly – her closest ally, but his professional research becomes intertwined with a past he refuses to confront. An unnamed prisoner in solitary confinement contemplates both his past and present, while in Mughal India a reluctant princess considers her future. From the fleeting and the transient, to the unavoidable and life changing, their encounters with the prayer rug unravel their stories and selves, bringing light where there was once darkness.
I’m not usually a fan of magical realism, but this does sound potentially lovely!
Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!
Leave a Reply