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 stuff sneaks in occasionally too.

TWELVE books this week!

(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)

How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Nonbinary MC, sapphic MC
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by debut author Jessie Sylva is the cozy tale of a halfling and a goblin who must learn to love each other despite their differences. Brimming with popular romance tropes and warmth, this story is perfect for fans of The Honey Witch and The Spellshop. 

What if cottagecore and goblincore fell in love?

When a halfling, Pansy, and a goblin, Ren, each think they've inherited the same cottage, they make a they'll live in the house together and whoever is driven out first forfeits their ownership.

Amidst forced proximity and cultural misunderstandings, the two begin to fall in love.
But when the cottage - and their communities - are threatened by a common enemy, the duo must learn to trust each other, and convince goblins and halflings to band together to oust the tall intruder.

This sounds immensely cosy and sweet, and I’m looking forward to curling up with it!

You can read an excerpt here!

Bytchcraft by Aaron Reese, Bex Glendining, Morgan Martinez, Lema Carril
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Black queer cast
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

Three modern witches must parlay with ancient gods and battle supernatural forces to stop a biblical entity from ascending to godhood, unaware their resistance plays perfectly into their enemy's plan.

Adriyel of the All-Seeing Eye, a pretentious oracle who speaks with the gods. Michele of Mother Earth’s Flesh, a nature wytch with a tender heart. Em of the Living Hellfire, an emo necromancer with a sharp tongue. These three friends are bound together through magick and blood as a queer coven in New York, each following their own magickal path under the watchful eye of their spectral coven matriarch, MTHR.

When the coven accidentally sends all of New York into a supernatural eclipse and sends the magick of the city into imbalance, their presence is revealed to a religious zealot and their angelic beast of retribution. Not only that, they soon discover they are at the center of an ancient prophecy, and all of wytchkind hangs in the balance! Now, each of them must face the secrets of the past, present, and future in order to save the magick.

Created by the late Aaron Reese, Bytchcraft is a love letter to queer friendship, Black Magick, and the found families that sustain us. Enter the magickal world of Bytchcraft and remember – God Save the Wytch.

Everything about this has me starry-eyed! The story sounds wonderful, and just look at that art! It’s GORGEOUS! Gonna need to grab this one as a paper copy for my bookshelf!

You can see a sneak peak of some of the pages here and here!

Fractured Rune: The Aeldstorm Saga Book One by Daniela Wolfe
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Trans MC
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

When the sky fractures and the Aeldstorm descends, Silfra Keegard’s life shatters with it. Once a priest-in-training, now an outcast, she crosses paths with Hamari, a fugitive whose strange tekknik and forbidden knowledge make her a target of the New Voluskar Order. With Elthar, her exiled mentor, and the Bograz, a creature straight out of myth, Silfra flees the only home she’s ever known, unaware that her childhood friend Johra, now a Gothi of the Fifth Order, has been sent to bring them back or destroy them.

As the Aeldstorms intensify and the gods begin to stir, Silfra is drawn into a web of rebellion, faith, and buried power. To survive, she must decide not only what she’s willing to become, but what part of herself she can bear to lose.

Fractured Rune is a trans-led epic fantasy of defiance, transformation, and the dangerous power of becoming yourself.

I’ve not been able to learn much about this one, but I really love the sound of it!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Preview on the book cover)!

The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Chinese-inspired setting and cast
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

Debut author Shen Tao introduces readers to the lush, deadly world of The Poet Empress, a sweeping, epic and intimate fantasy perfect for fans of The Serpent & the Wings of Night, The Song of Achilles and She Who Became the Sun.

In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land consumed by famine, and poetry magic lost to all except the powerful.
Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves.

Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel heir of the beautiful and brutal Azalea House.

But in a twist of fate, the palace stands on the knife-edge of civil war with Wei trapped in its center…at the side of a violent prince.

To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself. Even if it means becoming a poet in a world where women are forbidden to read—and composing the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of death...and love.

The Poet Empress is an epic fantasy that explores darker themes, subjects, and scenes that may not be suitable for all readers. Please see the author's content note at the beginning of the book.

I…was left with extremely mixed feelings about Poet Empress, and I really don’t recommend it. But lots of early readers disagree with me, so I still wanted to include it here.

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Read Excerpt beneath the book cover)!

My review!

A Realm Undone (The Severed Era) by J.L. Lienhardt
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

With its engaging magic system, high court drama, and themes of betrayal and sacrifice, A Realm Undone is perfect for fans of adult, women-led fantasy like The City of Brass and The Sword of Kaigen.

Centuries ago, mortals split the realm into two, with a magical veil placed firmly between them and their immortal rulers, the Tiarcons. Fueled by stolen magic, the mortal kingdoms flourished, but the Tiarcons never stopped trying to reclaim their magic and mortal subjects. And now, generations later, the veil between realms has begun to tear, letting immortal monsters ravage across the nations and threaten all the mortals have built.

Alia Meador would happily watch the mortal kingdoms buckle, as long as she could keep herself and her teenaged daughter, Lena, alive. After all, her own kingdom of Mandal, cast her out for her volatile magic, sending her to wander remote villages for decades. But when the treatment for Lena's illness comes along with a royal order to defend Mandal with the same magic they once spurned, Alia is caught between protecting the one person she loves and the reckoning she's so long desired.

With every moment spent in Mandal, Alia is subjected to the grasping of her ruthless family, a traitorous mage determined to understand the extent of her power, and the allure of the prince she once loved. And with every immortal confrontation, Alia's magic comes closer and closer to consuming her.

As the balance between realms shifts, Alia has to decide if her realm is worth saving, or if it all needs to be undone.

Very curious about this one – I have a huge soft spot for parents motivated by their kids’ needs, and I’ve not heard any details about the ‘engaging magic system’, which has me wondering what exactly it looks like!

Nine Goblins: A Tale of Low Fantasy and High Mischief by T. Kingfisher
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Nine Goblins, a tale of low fantasy and high mischief.

No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in “cowardly” and “lazy” too for good measure.

But goblins don't go around killing people for fun, no matter what the propaganda posters say. And when a confrontation with an evil wizard lands a troop of nine goblins deep behind enemy lines, goblin sergeant Nessilka must figure out how to keep her hapless band together and get them home in one piece.

Unfortunately, between them and safety lies a forest full of elves, trolls, monsters, and that most terrifying of creatures…a human being.

This is another of T Kingfisher’s books that was originally self-published, and unsurprisingly, the reviews are stellar. I’m expecting many giggles!

Hemlock by Melissa Faliveno
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MC
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

A woman haunted by a dark inheritance returns to the woods where her mother vanished, in this queer Gothic novel—a butch Black Swan.

Sam, finally sober and stable with a cat and a long-term boyfriend in Brooklyn, returns alone to Hemlock, her family’s deteriorating cabin deep in the Wisconsin Northwoods, where her mother disappeared years before and never returned. But a quick, practical trip takes a turn for the worse when the rot and creak of the forest starts to creep in around the edges of Sam’s mind. It starts, as it always does, with a beer.

As Sam dips back into the murky waters of dependency, the inexplicable begins to arrive at her door in the forms of a neighbor who leaves no trace, a talking doe who sounds just like Sam’s missing mother, and a series of mysterious gifts that might be a welcome or a warning. And as Sam’s stay extends—as the town’s grip on her tightens and her body takes on a strange new shape—the borders of reality begin to blur, and she senses she is battling something sinister—whether nested in the woods or within herself. 

Hemlock is a carnal coming-of-addiction, a dark sparkler about rapture, desire, transformation, and transcendence in many forms. What lives at the heart of fear—animal, monster, or man? How do we contain a threat that may come from within? And how can we reject our own inheritance, the psychic storm that’s been coming for generations, and rebuild a new home for ourselves? In the tradition of Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, Hemlock is a novel of singular style, with all the edginess of a survival story and a simmering menace that glints from the very periphery of the page.

I’m not sure if there’s any supernatural elements to this, but there might be? I’m crossing my fingers!

Bending the Rules: Fashion Beyond the Binary by Camille Benda, Gwyneth Conaway, Shannon Dea
Genres: Adult, Nonfiction, Queer Protagonists
Representation: QBIPOC and queer models
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

Bending the Rules is a fascinating, provocative, and highly entertaining visual exploration of identity and gender through fashion.

Celebrated costume designer Camille Benda seamlessly weaves together the cutting-edge and the historical—spanning high fashion, dress in film, trendsetting brands, art history, and more—showing that gender and fashion have always been intertwined. Brought to life with a dazzling array of more than 160 images,
Bending the Rules combines short essays and interviews with creative professionals to offer snapshots of fashion and gender expression across cultures, places, and time.

This unique portrait of fashion and identity explores how clothing can be serious and playful, limiting or liberating, express joy or longing, fear or fun, and much more. Readers will find captivating examples as wide-ranging as gender-confirming underwear line Urbody to Buddhist monastic life, Brad Pitt’s red-carpet skirt to gay cowboys and codpieces,
Playboy and bustiers to Native American Two-Spirit beings. For anyone fascinated by fashion or the sociology of clothing, identity, and gender, this book offers a one-of-a-kind immersive experience.

VISUALLY More than 160 visuals include illustrations by Gwyn Conaway, a costume designer, fashion historian, and culture specialist, as well as archival and contemporary photography, self-portraits, magazine covers, embroidery, and more.

 

AN ACCESSIBLE ENTRY POINT TO THE WORLD OF Through illustrated timelines, custom graphics, and content crafted with a sense of humor, playfulness, and curiosity, this artful social science book is accessible for newcomers and experienced fashion enthusiasts, from tweens exploring their own newly forming identity to cool aunts and switched-on grandparents.

A GLOBAL From an 18th-century French chevalier to Japanese kimonos, medieval alchemical manuscripts to 15th-century Flemish paintings, African Ndebele aprons to Scottish tartans, this deeply researched exploration spans time, cultures, and geography.

Perfect

Fashion enthusiasts
Costume and clothing designers
Beauty and body image advocates
LGBTQIA and nonbinary readers seeking examples of gender expression throughout history
Students and educators
Anyone interested in fashion, design, gender studies, sociology, and history

I have MAJOR grabby-hands for this – ‘fashion beyond the binary’ is a huge interest of mine, and I can’t wait to go through this collection!

A Wild Radiance by Maria Ingrande Mora
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Queer MCs, qeerplatonic relationship, polyamory
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

A searing and romantic fantasy adventure about an oligarchic state on the verge of a magical industrial revolution—perfect for fans of Arcane, Wicked, and Iron Widow!

Mora captures the diverse and richly developed world around Josephine—a red-haired girl, who’s “pale as bone” and cued neurodivergent— through lush prose. . . . This fast-paced, romantic, abundantly queer, historical fantasy explores the intertwined pain, fear, joy, and beauty of self-discovery in defiance of oppression from an authoritarian society. Alluring and electrifying magic.—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

An exciting story chock-full of world building, character development, and queer romance, executed with the perfect pacing. . . . Every aspect of the narrative and world is the perfect size for this shining self-contained novel.—Booklist (starred review)

Josephine Haven is about to find out exactly where she fits into the march of Progress. Her outbursts are infamous at the House of Industry, the school for children who can wield radiance, an electricity-like magic. She’s tried to follow the rules, but her fiery nature is at odds with the core tenet of the House: Never form attachments. If she is meant to feel nothing, why are her emotions so volatile?

No one is surprised when, upon graduation, Josephine is banished from the city to a remote Mission. In Frostbrook, she must work under standoffish Julian, the former golden boy of the House of Industry who seems determined to watch her fail. And then there’s Ezra, the flirtatious stranger who’s a little too curious about how the Mission operates.

But there are bigger problems than Julian and Ezra’s secrets. A deadly disease is spreading across the countryside, and in Frostbrook, not everyone is eager to embrace Progress. As Josephine questions the system that raised her—and gives in to desire she’s been taught to suppress—she must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to expose not just corruption within the House, but the devastating truth about the radiance in her core.

An epic and romantic fantasy that reimagines the War of the Currents, A Wild Radiance explodes with the same queer chaotic tension, magical industrialization, and class revolution themes that made Arcane a #1 Netflix sensation.

Perfect for readers who love Queerplatonic and Poly Relationships, Anti-Capitalism, Hurt/Comfort, Sunshine/Grump/Gremlin Dynamics, Messy Exes, and Fantasy Road Trips!

An industrial age setting with magic, and queen, polyamorous rebels? AND praise from Alix E Harrow on the cover? Um, GIMME!

Soul of a Gentleman Witch by David Ferraro
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: MLM MC
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

To win back his soul from the Devil, a cynical witch must decide if his own freedom is worth delivering a selfless boy to damnation.

Perpetually seventeen, Callum the green witch is indebted to the Devil until he fulfills 666 tasks. When Lucifer offers Callum an unusual job that will end Callum’s contract early and return his soul, Callum readily agrees. All Callum must do is ensure Augustus “Auggie” Sanderson makes it from London to New York by the next blood moon.

This proves more difficult than Callum could’ve predicted as power-hungry witch kings and queens, blood witches, and even necromancers are also out to capture Auggie. To deliver Auggie on time and win back his soul, Callum will need the help of his black cat familiar, his human assistant (whom he accidentally turned into a frog), a four-armed, tally undead witch, and Auggie himself—who seems too good to have made a deal with the Devil.

But if Auggie didn’t make a deal with the Devil, what awaits him in New York? And if Auggie doesn’t deserve his fate, is Callum willing to give up his own chance at freedom to save him?

THERE’S A WINGED CAT ON THE COVER! I’m sold!

If All the Stars Go Dark by S.G. Prince
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, YA
Representation: M/M
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

When eighteen-year-old Keller Hartman is recruited into the Legion’s most prestigious galactic unit, it’s a dream come true. He's worked hard for this. He’s ready to prove himself. The problem? His new partner—the beautiful, no-nonsense pilot Lament Bringer—wants nothing to do with him.

Forced to work together under Legion orders, Keller and Lament team up with a motley crew of specialists to investigate a mysterious visionary who can predict catastrophes. As they begin to peel back layers, however, they realize there's more to the story than meets the eye. With threats mounting and secrets unfolding, Keller and Lament will need to trust one another in order to stop the dangers at play. But with trust comes other feelings—ones neither of them is prepared for.

With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, the only thing worse than failing their mission might just be losing each other.

Probably not a me-book, but I’m open to being wrong!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Read Excerpt beneath the book cover)!

Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown
Genres: Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Gay MC
Published on: 20th January 2026
Goodreads

A harrowing, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller about a queer homeless teen who, in a bid for safety, assumes the identity of a boy who went missing ten years ago...only to find that his new home is anything but a safe haven—from All That's Left in the World author Erik J. Brown!

Perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson, and Ryan La Sala.

When a runaway teen is arrested for shoplifting, he's desperate not to be sent back to the hyper-religious parents he knows will never accept him. While at the police station, he notices a resemblance to the aged-up photos of Nate Beaumont, a child who went missing ten years ago—and, in a moment of desperation, he takes Nate’s identity in hopes that it will help him make a quick getaway. 

Before he can run again, Nate’s family arrives and welcomes him home to a life he never had. As "Nate" watches and waits for his chance to escape, he finds that the Beaumonts are nurturing and loving, very different from his own parents.

But soon unsettling things start to happen—vandalism, alarms going off in the middle of the night—and it becomes clear that someone knows "Nate" isn't who he says he is...and that the real Nate wasn't kidnapped, but murdered.

As he starts to unravel the mystery, he gets ever closer to the devil he may know—and learns he might be their next victim.

All right, this does sound properly thriller-y!

You can read an excerpt here (where it says Preview Now beneath the book cover)!

Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!

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