Must-Have Monday is a feature where I gather together the books I think you should know about from the coming week’s new releases. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I want to highlight out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other stuff occasionally makes it in too. Corrections and suggestions are very welcome!

TWENTY-FOUR books this week!

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

A Dance of Burning Blades (Invoker Trilogy, #2) by M.H. Ayinde
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fantasy
Representation: BIPOC cast, queer MCs, queernorm world
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

War rages on in the second heart-pounding novel in M. H. Ayinde’s relentless epic fantasy series The Invoker Trilogy, a sweeping epic of revenge and rebellion set in a richly drawn world of warring clans and ancestor magic.

Tension simmers across Nine Lands. In the capital, the people of Lordsgrave seethe with resentment after the horrors of the greyblood attack. Clan Adatali is in open rebellion against the king, and as war in the Feverlands rages on, a humble tree feller—who looks a lot like missing invoker Jinao Mizito—has not forgotten the promise he made to avenge his brother.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, the king’s daughter Lyela continues to move her pieces across the board. Can the people of the Nine Lands reclaim their stolen history and unlock the secrets that have been kept from them for centuries?

AHHHHH IT’S THE SECOND BOOK OF THE INVOKER TRILOGY!!! Aka the sequel to one of my favourite books ever!!! It’s only out in the UK this week – it’ll be out in the US in August – but OF COURSE I have jumped through all the hoops to get a UK copy, are you KIDDING ME, I can’t wait till AUGUST!!! Book one, A Song of Legends Lost, left us with so many mysteries, but I almost don’t even care if we get answers – I just want to get back to this world and this cast!!!

You can read an excerpt of book one here!

Flightless by Marie Parks
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

PRAISE FOR FLIGHTLESS:
"This was the book I needed. The fun, heisty bits create a tasty coating for real conversations about revolution. Intimate, sweeping, and full of flight.”
-Mary Robinette Kowal, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Calculating Stars

“Memorable characters, a fascinating world, tons of action, and deep political intrigue: Flightless has it all. Readers seeking a fresh voice and skilled storytelling need look no further.”
-David B. Coe/D.B. Jackson, author of the Thieftaker Chronicles

Riff is a disgraced, low-class thief. All of his hopes hinge on Ascension, so he can rejoin the elite, upper-class thieves guild he belonged to as a youth. When he’s offered a rare, lucrative job to steal an artifact and prove himself to the guild, there’s no question he’ll take it. But his crewmates grow skittish, and one of his usuals refuses to join the operation, making Riff wonder what they know that he doesn’t.

As his crew prepares, they face sabotage and betrayal. The only way out is forward, because the artifact is their sole bargaining chip. Riff must discover how far he’s willing to go to improve his station and confront his ambitions. This job has the potential to fulfill all his dreams… or end his career.

Marie Parks is a New Mexico Book Awards winner. She was a finalist for the Futurescapes Most Promising New Author Award for Flightless.

I’m so excited for this! The early reviews have been impressed with the worldbuilding – there’s three sentient species living alongside each other – and there’s apparently a lot of social justice, revolution stuff as well as the heist plot!

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

Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Brown cast, trans MC, other queer MCs, disability rep
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

Lu watched the love of his life walk the plank and sink into the inky-black depths of the sea. Nnenna was dead . . . or so he thought.

Five years later, Lieutenant “Lu” Ortega, dutiful fleet officer, embarks on a mission to hunt down a powerful talisman now in the hands of a runaway mermaid. On his quest, he discovers the Nnenna is still alive. Fierce and cunning, and as breathtaking as ever, Nnenna ’s won enough bloody sword fights as a pirate captain to earn the nickname “Devil of the Deep.” She has come to reject the system of order that Lu clings to, and worse, she’s protecting the very quarry he's Pearl Highwater, who has defied the all-powerful sea god and might hold a valuable key to finding her people’s lost island.

When the tides and fates bring them together, Nnenna, Lu, and Pearl must choose their loyalties, find their courage, and race to protect the island from false gods and forces of evil—or risk unleashing an ancient curse that could destroy them all.

Another one I’ve only heard excellent things about! This is set in a world inspired by the Caribean – some of the reviews have mentioned Haitian folklore specifically. Sounds marvellous!

The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Representation: Chinese-American MC
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

The Subtle Art of Folding Space, is the exhilarating debut science fiction novel from Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author John Chu channels unhinged physics, generational trauma, and the comfort of really good dim sum. This isn't your usual jaunt through quantum physics.

Most Ancipated Books of 2026—Esquire
Best New Science Fiction of 2026— New Scientist
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Look Forward To In 2026—Literary Hub
Most Anticipated Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2026—Book Riot

Ellie’s universe—and this one—is falling apart. Her ailing mother is in a coma; her sister, Chris, accuses her of being insufficiently Chinese between assassination attempts; and a shadowy cabal of engineers is trying to hijack the skunkworks, the machinery that keeps the physics of each universe working the way it’s supposed to.

Daniel, Ellie's cousin, has found an illicit device in the skunkworks—one that keeps Ellie's comatose mother alive while also creating destabilizing bugs in the physics of this universe. It's not a good day.

If she can confront her mother’s legacy and overcome her family’s generational trauma, she just might find a way to preserve the skunkworks and reconcile with her sister…but digging into her family’s past is thornier than it seems, and the secrets she uncovers will force Ellie to choose between her family and the universe itself.<

Reviews for this one are super mixed, but talk about a gorgeous cover!

You can read an excerpt here!

What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Bisexual brown MC, brown aromantic secondary character, asexual nonbinary/third-gender secondary character, minor sapphic character, minor amputee character
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

Humanity has scattered around the universe, in fits and starts.

On hostile planets, isolated groups of settlers eke out hardscrabble lives, second class citizens to the network of massive ships who mark their only link to the greater galaxy. John, a doctor from one of these outlying worlds, and Sudharma, his distressingly handsome Jain translator companion, find a world of absurd alien biologies that dazzle the mind… and utterly backwards people.

John’s homeworld developed a communal, matriarchal society to cope with their deadly surroundings, but here, he can’t even go for a walk with a woman without provoking public comment from the powerful religious authorities. His very survival is dependent on maintaining his status amongst this closed, unwelcoming group whose future is not guaranteed, with terrifying Earth, under the thumb of the “aiyi”, developing a looming, alien presence and threatening them all.

I found this really boring and depressing, but a lot of other early readers have loved it, comparing it to Ursula Le Guin. So I don’t know what to tell you – maybe check a few reviews before you lay down money for this one?

You can read the first two chapters here!

My review! (There’s been great discussion in the comments of the review too.)

Aviary by Maria Dong
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Speculative Fiction
Representation: Queer Korean MC
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

A young woman undertakes a terrifying journey—and a terrifying transformation—in this genre-blending speculative suspense novel set in South Korea and the US which mixes fantasy, gothic vibes and queer longing, with a shot of feminist body horror.

Fairytales are for children.
Until the day we awaken in a place full of monsters,
being softly enveloped by the dark.

Nineteen-year-old undocumented immigrant Hee-Jin lies on the floor of her cramped Seoul apartment, listening for footsteps.

But the knock on the door isn’t the police finally coming to deport her to North Korea. Instead, sprawled on the doorstep is a disfigured, bird-like corpse—and it has her eyes. Her younger sister, artist Hee-Young, is meant to be on an art program in America, not dead of a strange overdose.

But in Hee-Young’s pocket is a plane ticket and US passport. Seeing her chance for freedom, Hee-Jin steals her sister’s identity and takes her place, determined to uncover what really happened to her.

But the deeper she dives into the program’s strange workings, the closer she gets to the monstrous secret at its heart.

A page-turner of a mystery filled with gorgeous, creepy Korean folklore and imagery, Aviary, written by critically acclaimed Korean American author Maria Dong, is also a story about power, violence, exploitation—and transformation. And, above all, it's about the choices women make from within a system where all the available options are bad ones.

Sounds bizarre; here for it!

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

Year of the Mer by L.D. Lewis
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Biracial Black sapphic MC, Black sapphic MC, F/F
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

A dark, bloody epic fantasy reimagining of The Little Mermaid that goes far beyond the fairytale to explore family legacy, war, and what we will sacrifice for vengeance—the perfect read for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and Circe.

The fairytale mermaid Arielle might have gotten her happily-ever-after, but her granddaughter Yemi is having a much harder time. Her father, the king of Ixia, was assassinated years ago, her mother is slowly dying of a poisoned wound, and she faces whispers and slights from her own people. Yemi has been raised as the shield of the kingdom and is soon to inherit the throne, but she cannot shake her fury at how Ixia has treated her family after all they’ve sacrificed. Only her patient mother and steadfast personal bodyguard (and fiancée), Nova, help Yemi rein in that fury...most of the time.

When the kingdom’s discontented rumblings reach a fever pitch, a coup erupts and Yemi’s throne is usurped, stripping her of her family and forcing her into exile. Now, only one being has the power to help her: Ursla.

Like her grandmother before her, Yemi is tempted by a deal with the sea-witch. With powerful and ancient magic behind her, Yemi could avenge her family, take back her throne, and protect the love of her life. But she should know more than anyone that there is always a price. As much as Yemi wants vengeance, Ursla has been waiting a very, very long time for her own—and it may take more fortune than Yemi possesses to keep her from losing everything all over again.

If you don’t like fantasy settings where characters say things like ‘yikes’ this isn’t going to be for you.

You can read an excerpt here!

You can read my DNF review here!

Hail the Rising Tides by Kat Kraehen
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Romantic Fantasy
Representation: Bisexual cast, F/F and M/M
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

Prim and prideful Ione possesses the Moon Goddess’s spirit and a harrowing fate: overpower the wrathful Sun God and sweep His murderous pyromancers into the sea. But attaining divine ascension is easier said than done, and the longer Ione takes to save her people, the more impatient her conniving archpriest becomes.

Quiet, distrusting Lina has had more than enough of bloodshed. After escaping immolation by Sun-worshipers, she gains a new lease on life as a nameless acolyte of the Moon Goddess. That is until she catches the eye of Lady Ione, whose captivation with Lina has caused the Goddess to stir within her for the first time.

As temples burn and Ione’s archpriest launches treacherous gambits of his own, Ione and Lina’s alliance deepens into something neither of them anticipated. If Ione’s enemies reach her before she can awaken the Moon Goddess, everyone she loves will go up in flames.

But if she succeeds, the Sun cult will be annihilated - including Lina, whose past as a Sun priestess cannot remain hidden forever.

I admit that the cover makes me nervous, but everything I’ve seen about this book makes it sound like romantic high/epic fantasy, not romantasy (which is usually not for me). Crossing my fingers!

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

Cookies and Claws (Sugar and Scales Book 1) by Camilla Vavruch
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Cosy Fantasy
Representation: M/M
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

Prince Theo would rather bake than rule. But when dark magic creeps across his kingdom, he’s forced to trade the warmth of the kitchen for the dangers of a quest. Dragons are attacking Astoria, whispers stir of a long-vanished witch—and Theo ends up among a ragtag group of “heroes” who barely fit the title.

Can a reluctant prince, a sarcastic dwarf, a stoic knight, and a dragon save the realm?

This first book in the Sugar and Scales trilogy is packed with humor, heart, and a slow-burn m/m romance, all wrapped in enchanted forests, rising danger, and the occasional slice of blueberry cobbler. Perfect for fans of Howl’s Moving Castle, cozy queer fantasy, and stories where the kitchen is more important than battlefields (but there is still a battle).

Sounds super sweet!

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

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances: A Novel by Glenn Dixon
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

In a near future, where even the smallest of appliances are sentient, a young Roomba vacuum sets out to save the humans of her house from a rising technological power in this compelling, original novel.

In a self-running, smart house, a young and sentient Roomba listens as her owner, Harold, reads aloud to his dying wife, Edie. Mesmerized by To Kill a Mockingbird and craving the human connection she witnesses in Harold’s stories, the little vacuum renames herself Scout and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

But when Edie passes away, Scout and her fellow sentient appliances discover that there are sinister forces in their midst. The omnipresent Grid, which monitors every household in the City, seeks to remove Harold from his home, a place he’s lived in for fifty years.

With the help of Adrian, a neighborhood boy who grows close to Scout and Harold, as well as Kate, Harold and Edie’s formerly estranged daughter, the humans and the appliances must come together to outwit the all-controlling Grid lest they risk losing everything they hold dear.

Let’s be real, I was sold the second I read ‘sentient roomba’!

You can read an excerpt here! (Beneath the About The Book section.)

The Resurrection Girl by Nathan D. Ludwig
Genres: Adult, Speculative Fiction
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

Anastasia Fell has the power to resurrect the dead.

The government exploits this ability in order to “defib” murderers at the scene of a crime. Innocent victims are left to rot while the feds look good with their conviction numbers. Naturally, this has taken a severe mental toll on Fell and she is desperate to break free and make a real difference.

She gets more than she bargained for when her longtime obsessions in the Butcher Brothers, a pair of ritualistic cannibal siblings, carve a bloody swath through the American Midwest searching for a hidden and haunted Shoshone reservation where the infamous Wendigo walks freely.

With a defiant hostage in tow, the brothers intend to harness the power of immortality from the legendary creature while Fell gives desperate chase to save what victims she can as it becomes increasingly clear that their destination is a godforsaken wasteland where no one gets out alive.

Early Praise!
"...there's no slow build here; things start fast and finish fast, leaving rarely a chance to catch your breath...THE RESURRECTION GIRL is one hell of an adventure that will stay with you long after reading." - Mark Towse, author of Nana & The Sound of Suffering

“RESURRECTION GIRL is like Natural Born Killers meets King’s The Dead Zone, with a topping of cannibal sprinkles. An intense, gritty thrill ride that is equal parts supernatural horror, gritty noir, and bloody fun.” - Richard Beauchamp, Splatterpunk Award-Nominated author of Thrall & Our Lord, The Worm

"THE RESURRECTION GIRL is a high-octane pleasure drenched in blood that never lets up!" - Chris DiLeo, author of The Hands of Onan & What Ever Happened to Jo Rose?

"Overall, RESURRECTION GIRL is an entertaining read! Cinematic in scope! Blood-soaked badassery!"- Evan Baughman, playwright and author of Try Not to Die in a Dark Fantasy

This sounds very different to my usual reads, but I’m fascinated.

The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains by Reena McCarty
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

A former changeling must return to the land of the Fae to right a bargain that's gone terribly wrong in this delightful cozy fantasy debut packed full of charm, adventure, romance and heart.

When Poppy Hill was a child she was stolen from her family's Montana homestead and taken to the land of the fae, where she spent more than a century as a cook in the Wild King's castle. Now back in the human world, she works for a company that brokers fairy bargains, looking for loopholes in their contracts.

Then a bargain that Poppy is negotiating goes disastrously wrong and she has to return to the world she grew up in to try to rectify her mistake, facing danger, intrigue and a pesky ex-boyfriend along the way.

Really like the sound of ex-changelings having to deal with faerie shenanigans, something about that just delights me!

You can read an excerpt here!

Honey in Her Veins: A Novel by Ruth McKell
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

Arthur Connoway desperately wants to free himself from the monster inhabiting his mind. Instead, he is rapidly losing control of it following his mother’s death. In a last-ditch effort to feel whole again—and to lay his mother’s memory to rest—Arthur decides to return to the quiet bee farm he once called home, hoping their sacred honey can heal him in more ways than one.

Eight years ago, Eva Moreau's flora magic caused a terrible accident, harming her father in the process. Now, she’s desperate to find a way to heal him, but her attempts only seem to do the opposite. If she could just learn to control her magic, she might be able to save her father and leave the past behind.

When Arthur returns to town looking for absolution, Eva once again loses control of her magic, putting everyone she loves in danger. Together, the pair decides to trek to the source of her family’s magic to find a cure for both Arthur and her father. But there’s a mysterious ghost haunting the forest, and it won’t let Arthur and Eva leave the woods without confronting the secrets of their past...

I have been majorly into magic honey since my grandmother gave me a book about it when I was little, so obviously this caught my interest!

You can read an excerpt here! (Where it says Free Preview beneath the book cover.)

Curious Cats and Fantastical Felines: The Cat in Folklore, Myth, and Legend by Willow Winsham
Genres: Fantasy
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

Curious Cats and Fantastical Felines gives an intriguing insight into the historical relationship between cats and humans by exploring the folklore, myths, and legends that relate to cats from around the globe.

For thousands of years, cats and humankind have been inextricably intertwined. From the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Bastet to the cat demon Yokai of Japan, people have been fascinated, enthralled, and horrified in equal measure by everything feline-related.

Throughout history, cats have been revered and reviled and everything in between.

Worshipped as divine, blamed for plague and pestilence, or labeled as the demonic companions of witches—whether fair or foul, no other animal has attracted such consistent attention, a fact strongly illustrated by the vast number of myths, legends, sayings, superstitions, and tales that exist regarding these enigmatic creatures.

Today, mankind is no less under the feline thrall, with cat memes, videos, and celebrity cat accounts numbering among the highest-ranking entertainment across the internet. Unknown to many, this cultural fascination has a deep and rich history than spans continents and millennia. Discover the roots of this age-old captivation with our feline counterparts and why they have been loved—or otherwise—by so many.

Feline folklore!!! Yes please!

The Bloody and the Damned by Becca Coffindaffer
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, Dystopia, Science Fantasy, YA
Representation: Nonbinary MC
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

An assassin with outlawed, magical abilities will do anything to get their kidnapped sisters back in this dystopic-fantasy standalone, perfect for fans of Arcane and Iron Widow.

Mercy has no place here.

On Trinity, where the privileged live in the skies and the rest fight for water below, you do what you can to survive.

18-year-old Val knows this better than anyone. They’ve sacrificed everything to provide for their younger sisters. Using their outlawed teleportation powers, they've become the most infamous assassin-for-hire on Trinity, known as the Butcher.

No one should be able to trace the Butcher to Val. But when a gang retaliates by kidnapping Val's sisters and killing Dani, Val's only friend, it means that someone has to know the truth.

Desperate and completely alone, Val has no one to turn to but their ex-best friend turned vigilante thief, Orion. He broke their heart, but he owes them.

But as Val fights for the return of their sisters, they start to realize there might be something much bigger at play... something that could upend everything they’ve ever known about Trinity.

Val’s journey will take them from a maximum security prison transport to the headquarters of the most powerful gang on Trinity, and all the way to the Gate of Heaven. Each more heavily guarded than the last.

Good thing the Butcher has never blinked at an extra casualty.

I’ve read the first third of this, and it’s really great; interesting, unique worldbuilding and wonderfully easy to read, addictive prose. The approach to violence also feels unusually un-preachy for YA SFF, which I appreciate.

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

The Gravewood by Kelly Andrew
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, YA
Representation: Deaf MC
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

IS IT LOVE . . . OR IS IT BLOODLUST?

Shea Parker has lived her entire life in the shadow of the Gravewood – a deadly forest that’s cut her town off from the world. With resources dwindling, she’s forced to ration her hearing aid batteries. When her stash runs out, she’ll be left in silence.
Her only hope is Oliver Lysander, the volatile leader of the vampires who rule the Gravewood. Their deal is simple: she gives him her blood, he brings her batteries. No lines crossed. Nothing personal.

Until Shea’s best friend is lured into the Gravewood, and her brother Asher Thorley returns from the frontlines, willing to expose Shea’s darkest secrets to get his sister back.

Ever the opportunist, Lysander offers a new bargain: if Asher kills his vampire rival, he’ll help find the missing girl. And if Shea agrees to Turn, he’ll cure her ailing mother.
But every deal pulls her closer to Lysander – and to becoming a monster herself.

I’ve been meaning to read Kelly Andrews for ages and this sounds like an amazing place to start! Working with vampires to get batteries for your hearing aids?! Awesome!

You can read an excerpt here!

To Steal a Throne by Gabi Burton
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Representation: Brown MC
Published on: 7th April 2026
Goodreads

In this YA fantasy novel perfect for fans of Heartless Hunter, a girl who has always served others decides to take power for herself.

Her magic feeds on lies.
His magic could destroy her.

Mira Kyler runs the court of Virdei from the shadows. Ever since she helped her half-brother Luc cheat his way into the role of Virdei's leader, she's used her lie-powered magic to collect secrets from members of court, then used them as blackmail to keep her brother in power.

Kaidren Vale has magic of his own-magic that can detect the precise nature of someone else's power with a single touch. Kaidren is after the throne, and Mira knows it could be his for the taking if he so much as brushes against her and discovers Mira has been manipulating the court with her power for years.

As Kaidren and Luc compete for the throne in The Trials-three deadly challenges-Mira realizes, even as she fights to keep her brother in power, that no matter who wins, she'll be stuck serving someone else. She's done hiding in the shadows. She wants the throne for herself.

To get it, she'll have to betray both her own brother and Kaidren-but the fiercer the competition gets, the more Mira realizes that the one boy who could destroy everything is the one boy she might not be able to resist.

I have been hearing good things about this one!

Sailing the Golden Chersonese by Joyce Chng
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Southeast Asian-inspired setting and cast, nonbinary MC
Published on: 9th April 2026
Goodreads

Adventure, magic and more…

Neo has been raised to be their father’s son, to succeed him as the captain of the pirate vessel Sri Matahari and to sail the seas of the Golden Chersonese raiding and having adventures. They thought this was all that they needed or wanted until the beautiful Maria sought their help on her quest for vengeance. Together, they will avenge wrongs, encounter Naks and other wonders and find a magic all their own.

This isn’t a novel, but a collection of stories following the same queer pirates in a fantasy version of Southeast Asia (or maybe a fantasy world inspired by Southeast Asia? One or the other!) I am especially excited by the beautiful dragon in the background of the cover!

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

The Hand of the King's Evil (Outremer Book 5) by Chaz Brenchley
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Brown cast, queer MCs
Published on: 9th April 2026
Goodreads

Julianne has married again, and once more she has been whisked away on her wedding night, this time very much against her will. Clearly she must be rescued, but is she just the bait in a trap for someone else?

Meanwhile a renegade preacher is performing miracles and gathering an army of the poor and needy about him. All of the warring factions in Outremer would love to know who is he working for, and doubtless suspect each other. But the preacher is clear in his intent. He means to lead his ragged army against Surayon.

I’ve fallen in love with a few of Brenchley’s books now – the Mars school books, Of the Emperor’s Kindness – so I’m excited to try his queer high fantasy series! Although, Hand of the King’s Evil is book 5, so I won’t be starting with this one, obviously!

You can read an excerpt of book one here!

The Devouring by A. M. Shilling
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Horror
Published on: 9th April 2026
Goodreads

Throughout their marriage, Jason and Ayana’s lives always ran parallel but never entwined. It’s the perfect arrangement. He’s free to pursue his dangerous yet lucrative career as an elite assassin, and she can focus on conducting autopsies for the city’s forensic center.

But after Jason spares a witness to his latest murder, he becomes the prime suspect in his own brother’s homicide. While he hunts for the real killer, Ayana discovers an impossible illness in one of her cadavers. The couple quickly identify an unsettling connection between the two events—one steeped in religious fanaticism and occult conspiracy.

Jason and Ayana must learn to work together, using their wits, lies, and criminal connections to uncover the truth behind a mysterious cult and exact revenge. But human enemies are the least of their concern. Beyond the boundary of their world exists a cosmic threat of apocalyptic proportions, and it is trying to break through.

I do not remember how this made it onto my radar (I’ve got to start making notes about that) but the title was underlined TWICE so past!Sia was very excited for something about it. Maybe the idea of a morally-grey power couple taking on the occult? Because that DOES sound very cool!

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

The Boyfriend Academy by J.S. Strange
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, Dystopia
Representation: M/M
Published on: 9th April 2026
Goodreads

Love is forbidden. Truth is dangerous. Survival is everything.

Ganymede’s is no ordinary boarding school. Behind its spiral towers and manicured lawns, boys are forged into the men society demands – strong, obedient, perfect. Graduate, and the world is yours: a home, a career, a wife. But fail… and you’re no longer useful to society.

For Dylan Cecil it should be simple: keep his head down, survive graduation, and earn his place. But when his friend, Blake, disappears, Dylan can’t silence the questions gnawing at him, even as whispers of danger shadow the school’s gilded halls.

As June’s trials close in – eight tests that will decide who is worthy of manhood – Dylan is haunted by Blake’s absence and drawn to Roman Edwards, a boy as magnetic as he is unknowable.

In a world rebuilt on order and obedience, Dylan must decide: will he become the man the academy wants – or the man he really is?

I’ve seen so many stories that has girls or women being trained like this – it’s interesting to see guys in this position instead!

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

Project Sapling: Occult Defense Division Book 1 by Aurora O'Neill
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 10th April 2026
Goodreads

When one orphaned teen escapes from a preordained life of drudgery and misery administered as education by enlisting in the Youth Corps of the Unified Army Occult Defense Division in place of serving jail time for a bar-room brawl, his choice sets about a chain of events that will alter the future of humanity. Freed from the violent history left behind the Mission School walls, deployed on the forefront of an ongoing conflict between the continental superpower of the Unified Central States and its neighboring nation-state of Cascadia, War Orphan 027A-R03 finds that the uniform does not fit quite as well as expected. When the opportunity to fight the system from within presents itself, he does not When stranded alone on a training mission with no one but a single conscript and captured by an enemy officer, he strikes a deal to save the recruit and begins a decades-long conspiracy to ferry Unified teenagers across the border to a better life over the Cascades.

Decades later, the War Orphan from Colville is now the Headmaster of the Occult Defense Division's Youth Corps. After a few unwise decisions at the beginning of October, not only is his own estranged grandson now on the conscript list for the fall Active Combat Training Mission, but the granddaughter of the man who sparked the fight that began the whole saga as well.

When dropped unprepared and unsuspecting into the decades-old battlefield now known as the Devil's Grainfield, there is only one option for the teenage Cadets of the Occult Defense Division: Unlock their latent magical Potential and survive the ordeal, or die trying.

An overtly queer military fantasy with a science fiction finish, Project Sapling serves as an introduction to an original world of magic, time travel, and extraterrestrial interference on a grand scale, with a side order of international conspiracy to commit peace. Following a grafted and growing family tree from the mountains surrounding the Palouse Basin, this generational coming-of-age tale explores cycles of trauma and healing, fracturing and reconnection, found family, friendship, and the enduring power of the human spirit, featuring a cast as diverse and vibrant as the ecology and geology of the region it takes place across.

I’m interested in what the worldbuilding in this one is going to be like, and the paper edition is incredibly long, which has me curious too!

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

Our Mutual Destruction by L.R. Woods
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, Post-Apocalyptic
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 10th April 2026
Goodreads

Fallout meets The Walking Dead in this science fiction debut from LR Woods.

Thirty years after World War Final, all Dax wants in life is to wander the wastelands alone with only his studded bat, Sweetheart, for company. Humans are more trouble to him than the rotting monstrosities dwelling within the lingering radiation, even though both have equal chances to ruin his day. When a toxic rainstorm forces him to seek shelter inside an abandoned chapel, Dax crosses paths with Hunny Bunny, an impulsive, bratty bundle of chaos who isn’t afraid to go after what she wants in life—namely Dax. In less than a day, Bunny cuts through Dax’s sepia-toned shadows with bright, prismatic light. She offers him companionship, encouraging him to love every aspect of himself, especially the parts he abandoned long ago.

During a detour to help Bunny recover her stolen invention—a device made from the same illegal technology that caused the war—Dax reunites with Vector, his estranged best friend. Vector presents both Dax and Bunny with a business proposal: protect Helix, a divine messenger, as their team ventures into dangerous territory to save the world. But the road to rebirth will not be an easy one. Dax’s sepia-toned shadows hide more than just monsters that refuse to die. Dax must endure his own rebirth and forgive himself for his bloody past if he ever wants to witness the rewritten future.

Don’t know what to expect from this one, but I’m intrigued by the premise nonetheless!

While We're Still Beasts by Alex Nonymous
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 12th April 2026
Goodreads

The girls of Cardale disappear every tenth.

For years now, Genevere's watched girl after girl be vanished off to Lotterhaugh to satiate some unspoken deal with the fae. When the girl she likes is marked the next victim, she decides to take her place--with knives in her boots and vengeance in her heart.

When she arrives at the castle, she finds not enemies, but quiet, abandoned halls, the ghosts of memories she once longed to exorcise, and a cursed prince she already knows she was built incapable of saving.

While We're Still Beasts is a queer new adult Sleeping Beauty retelling about finding your people, screaming at fate, and the kinds of love that don't get to break curses.

Alex Nonymous is another author I’ve meant to read for a while – one of my siblings is a huge fan – and this could be where I start!

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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