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!

SEVENTEEN books this week!

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

Radiant Star (Imperial Radch) by Ann Leckie
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Nonbinary MC
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

Ann Leckie returns to the world of the Imperial Radch in this standalone.

The Temporal Location of the Radiant Star has always been a source of both conflict and hope for the people of Ooioiaa. However, the imperial Radch see it only as an inconvenience, an antiquated religious site soon to be absorbed into their own, superior culture. But local politics is complicated, and the Radch have made one last concession: One last man will be allowed to join the mummified bodies in the temporal location to become a "living saint".

But this one decision will ripple out to affect every part of the city. Amidst a slowly worsening food shortage, riots, and a communication blackout from the rest of the Radch Empire, a religious savant will entertain visions of his own sainthood, a socialite will discover zer comfortable life upended, and a young man sold into servitude will find unlikely escape.

NEW ANN LECKIE!!!!!!!!!! Enough said, surely!

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

The Tapestry of Fate (Amina al-Sirafi, #2) by Shannon Chakraborty
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Arabic cast and setting
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty sets sail into the second adventure of pirate Amina al-Sirafi as her quest to track down magical artifacts brings her to the island lair of a sorceress whose woven enchantments are impossible to flee.

Amina al-Sirafi thinks she’s struck gold. Tasked with hunting down arcane artifacts for the council of immortal peris, she can savor the occasional rollicking adventure on the high seas with her cherished criminal companions while still returning home to raise her beloved daughter, Marjana. But when Raksh, the spirit of discord with whom she is reluctantly wed, provokes the council’s wrath, Amina is charged with a seemingly impossible quest: steal a spindle capable of rewriting fate from a mysterious sorceress on an island no one can escape.

Forced to leave Marjana—who is increasingly frustrated at being peddled what are clearly lies about her mother’s life and her own past—Amina finds her mission almost immediately thrown into peril. But deadly storms, an erratic poison mistress, and old enemies are the least of her worries. For the peris’ story is unraveling, hinting at a far deadlier game whose rules Amina must swiftly puzzle out. A game that sets her against an adversary more cunning and powerful than she has ever faced.

A game that not everyone on her crew wants her to win.

AMINA AL-SIRAFI RETURNS! AHHHHHHHHHHH!

You can read an excerpt here!

Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffmann
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Queer autistic MC, queer trans MC
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

A script supervisor for an AI media conglomerate is caught between her intense need for an orderly life and her deeper, darker queer desires. From the creator of the Outside trilogy, a heartfelt interplanetary epic of identity, longing, and a space pirate who smuggles inappropriate stories.

Kelli Reynolds loves creating stories more than anything in the world. But on Callisto, a generative AI company called Inspiration owns everything, including all the media, and only Inspiration determines which stories can be told.

Kelli has a rare and coveted job in which her autism is to her advantage: She precisely edits AI output into “appropriate” stories for Inspiration’s massive TV audience. Her proudest creation is the pirate Orlando—a dashing do-gooder based on stories she used to tell friends.

Reenter Kelli’s ex-boyfriend Rowan, the person Kelli based Orlando on. Back when they were teenagers, their relationship was a secret. Kelli had thought that Rowan, a trans man, was her schoolmate Em, a girl.

Rowan is tangled up in the black market after he needed to get money for gender reassignment surgery. He needs Kelli’s help with something . . . illegal. So, now Kelli has to decide: Will she risk the safe, tidy story of her life now for the world she once wished for? What would Orlando do?

Passionate, dangerous, and tender, Ignore All Previous Instructions is a sweeping, poignant novel about censorship, forbidden love, and growing up.

I admit I didn’t end up getting along with this one, but I do think it’s a very timely book that will entertain the right reader!

You can read an excerpt here!

And my review here!

We Dance Upon Demons by Vaishnavi Patel
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy
Representation: Desi MC
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

From the New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi, a galvanizing stand-alone contemporary fantasy following a burnt-out reproductive health care worker as she fights back against escalating attacks on her clinic and the malevolent forces in hot pursuit of her newly acquired power.

As a reproductive health care worker in Chicago, Nisha is barely staying afloat in the ocean of abortion bans, screaming protestors, and her own all-consuming depression.
When she escapes to the Indian art exhibit at her favorite museum for a brief respite, Nisha suddenly finds herself bleeding, disoriented, and collapsed on the ground. The last thing she remembers is the statue that beckoned her to touch it. In the days that follow, Nisha feels a strange power coursing within her, one that attracts a host of dangerous and enigmatic characters who covet it for themselves.

Facing threats both otherworldly and distinctly human, Nisha must navigate uncertain alliances to piece together the centuries-old mystery of her odd and terrifying abilities. And as danger closes in on her loved ones, community, and the clinic she’s determined to protect, Nisha must make a choice about the life she wants—and fight all the demons standing in her way to get it.

You’ve got to admit, that’s one HELLS of a premise!

You can read an excerpt here, or on the book’s Big River Site (kindle) page!

Mothball Magic: A queer urban fantasy by Rena Rocford
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Elderly sapphic MC, elderly main cast
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

She's going to save the world even if she breaks a hip doing it.

Ruth has been there and done that. She’s already saved the world in WWII, when magic was locked away forever. So when it inconveniently comes back in the middle of cooking dinner, seventy years later, Ruth must assemble a team of the mightiest geriatric magic-users left in the world to find out what caused it.

But this isn’t like sneaking behind enemy lines when they were younger. Just missing her heart medication might be a bigger danger than facing down the fae. Old witches and wizards without their powers are just old ladies and men. They might live longer, but they’re still only human, with grudges that go back decades.

It's the Golden Girls meets the Dresden Files! Four geriatric people must stop the Queen of Winter from taking over the world, in Mothball Magic by Rena Rocford!

Fantasy / Urban Fantasy / Fae / LGBTQ Lesbian

Adult

I’ve been excited for this one since I first heard about it! ELDERLY MAGES FTW!

Muntu (Ivory's Story, #1) by Eugen Bacon
Genres: Adult, Horror
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

ONE MAN. TWIN SOULS. AN UNQUENCHABLE BEAST.

It is a muntu—a trapped spirit in the island of the dead. This creature of legend becomes a deadly reality when a killer strikes the heart of Sydney.

The victims seem unconnected, yet Investigating Officer Ivory Tembo is convinced the killings are anything but random.

The case soon leads Ivory into places she never imagined. In order to stop the killings and save the life of the man she loves, she must reach deep into her past, uncover secrets of her heritage, break a demon’s curse, and somehow unify two worlds.

Potentially too scary for me, but I do want to take a peek at it…

All Hail Chaos (Time of Iron, #2) by Sarah Rees Brennan
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Portal Fantasy
Representation: Gay PoV character, lesbian PoV character, major Black gay character
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

All Hail Chaos is Sarah Rees Brennan’s wicked, unmissable sequel to Long Live Evil ("delicious, subversive" –Leigh Bardugo), one of the New York Times "Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2024." 

THE EMPEROR IS HERE. AND SHE MADE HIM WORSE.

Rae is a fantasy reader who’s been transported to her favorite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far much more deadly than the one she knew.

Her friends are on the the Cobra shelters in an eerie manor haunted by dark secrets, while Emer and Lia stoke a revolution in the gutters. Undead armies roam the kingdom, raiders camp at the city gates, and the irresistible emperor – Rae’s favorite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land – wants her to be his evil queen. 

Romantic in fiction, complicated in reality. What’s a villainess to do? Time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone.

I…didn’t love this, but I am an outlier; basically every other early reader has adored it!

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

My review!

Blighted by T.E. Lane
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

All Melina of Ascolane has ever wanted to do is study magic, but when a devastating Blight destroys the sorcerers’ city, her quiet life is swept into chaos. At the center of it all is the Tear of the Goddess—a sacred relic that anchors magic in the mortal world—and the mysterious knight sworn to protect it.

Liliane de Montraine, once the Queen’s Champion and now a knight-in-exile, carries both the Tear and the burden of a past she cannot outrun. Together, she and Melina must adventure into the perilous realms of Faerie, face treacherous High Fae politics and Blight-maddened underfae, and unravel the dark secret of the Tear before the Blight consumes everything they love.

But as their quest draws them closer to each other, so too does it lead them toward a dangerous truth: Saving their world may mean dooming its magic forever.

That cover’s giving romance vibes but it’s been tagged as horror, so this might get fairly dark?

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

The Hanging Bones by Elle Tesch
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Aroace MC
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

From the author of What Wakes the Bells comes a rich, gothic fantasy about a girl who enters a dangerous, magical hunt with the goal of winning the death of her predatory overlord. Perfect for fans of Adalyn Grace, Maggie Stiefvater, and V.E. Schwab.

Some monsters are born. Some are made. All can be killed.

Once every few years, the Scavenge Moon rises. From beyond its pale glow steps the Breimar Stag, an otherworldly creature with eyes of burning gold. Any reckless adventurer who chooses to join the hunt for the stag only has until the Scavenge Moon sets to claim their prize—if they catch it, they are granted the death of any person of their choice. And if no one catches it, the stag will claim one of the hunters' souls instead.

Katrin has lived on the border of the forest her whole life, raised on tales of the Folk that dwell within. As a gamekeeper for the baron who rules over the region, she is saddled with the onerous task of escorting the entitled nobles who descend upon her home for the Breimar Hunt. None of them respect the forest or its legends, and Katrin is only too happy to let them risk their foolish necks for what they see as a cheap thrill.

When her beloved cousin becomes the latest target of the baron's lecherous appetites, Katrin knows only his death will keep her family safe, and the only way she can claim his life is to win the hunt herself. But something hungry has begun to stir in the woods, something even older and more powerful than the stag. As the horrifying, mutilated bodies pile up, Katrin begins to question where the true danger lies.

I feel like there’s been a bit of a rise in books about teen girls offing big scary supernatural guys, and I fully approve!

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

The Saw Mouth by Cale Plett
Genres: Horror, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Genderqueer MC
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

For fans of The Last Bookstore on Earth and Compound Fracture, a heart-pounding rural horror following a genderqueer teen who survives a near-apocalypse, only to be hunted by a mysterious monster whose very existence is entwined with their own.

From a breathtaking new voice in YA, this story is for anyone haunted by the sins of past generations—and fighting to right them.

When Cedar was a child, fragmented, tortured souls woke up in the world's most complex machines, destroying them and pushing technology back decades. A fall. The Fall, some said, and they called it Autumn.

Ten years later, following a family tragedy, Cedar moves to the nowhere town of Sawblade Lake only to find something hunting them. A long, bent shadow that reeks like rot and has the mouth of a deep crevice. It's after Cedar, and it’s willing to go to any lengths to break them, including preying on Cedar’s new queer family.

The closer it circles, the more it seems to weave through Cedar’s whole life. It might stretch back to their mother’s gruesome, inexplicable death, to the murk of their missing family, to the house they grew up in. Back and back and back to the first day of Autumn.

Cedar thought they understood how their world had changed, but they’re far from dredging the bottom.

I have so many questions that will not be answered without reading the book, methinks!

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

Song of the Yellow Dragon by Ying Ping Low, Low Ying Ping
Genres: Fantasy, MG
Representation: Chinese cast and setting
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

Two children search for a legendary dragon's magic in this enchanting fantasy, perfect for readers ages 9-13!

There is a secret that every child knows: Magic is real. But by the time children turn thirteen, they forget that magic is anything but make-believe.

Mengyao wants to remember. Born in a village nestled in a secluded vale, Mengyao wants to hold on to magic and become a Divine Healer. But with her thirteenth birthday fast approaching, she is losing hope.

Young emperor Kai is on the run from traitorous advisors. He’s searching for the fabled Dragon’s Pulse, a magic capable of defeating his enemies. On the brink of his thirteenth birthday, Kai doesn’t have much longer. So when he meets Mengyao—the girl whose name is mentioned in his legend—he forces aside his instinctual distrust and recruits her to help him on his quest.

On their perilous journey, Kai and Mengyao find aid in unexpected forms like a jade hare, a moon goddess, and a handful of promises. But as enemies close in and time runs out, secrets that will reshape the fate of their kingdom forever come to light.

I love that ‘why are tiny children the ones responsible for this adventure’ is baked into the worldbuilding!

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

The Last Dragon House: A Novel by Olivia Mae Morris
Genres: Fantasy, MG
Published on: 12th May 2026
Goodreads

A middle-grade debut about a magical boarding house for dragons and the unlikely siblings destined to save it

Siblings Olly and Jenny Atwood have never met a dragon—Olly doesn’t even think they’re real. But when the strange and brilliant Dr. Lady Abernathy offers Olly a job at her mysterious house, the Atwoods learn that these incredible beasts are very much alive—and they need help.

Dragons have been forced into hiding, and as caretakers of the Dragon House, Dr. Lady and Olly are the only protectors these magnificent creatures have left. But when evil forces conspire to poison Dr. Lady, Olly and his dragon friends find themselves locked in a race against time, political conspiracies…and one very large corgi. Can Olly recover the antidote before it’s too late? And can Jenny harness her stirring powers to keep Dr. Lady alive until then? Or could this be the end of the Dragon House—and dragons—as they know it?

HERE FOR THE DRAGON HOUSE!

Dream of the Jet-Black City by Pablo Valcarcel Castro
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 14th May 2026
Goodreads

Strange the Dreamer meets The Shadow of the Wind in this exciting and innovative fantasy with intricate worldbuilding, political twists and turns, a magic system based on dreams and nightmares being twisted into reality, a mythic storm overshadowing a dark and shaded city - and secrets from the past that threaten an entire nation.

Perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson, Mark Lawrence and Adrian Tchaikovsky.

All such Nightmares were born out of Dreamers' minds - angry, cruel, terrible Dreamers, yes, but still men and women. Here, in the Library, the Nightmares have sparked from dying stories, from the anguished echoes of poets and scribes carved into the crevasses of codexes.

Ash and his crew race across rooftops in pursuit of living lightning from the perpetually raging Motherstorm. This energy the jet-black city of Onyxia depends upon is all that stands between them and starvation. When a monstrous nightmare attacks, death is all but certain - until Ash dreams a shadow panther into existence to protect himself. But this new power comes with a either conscription to the harrowing Academy or indebtment to a wealthy patron.

Daerna belongs to a devout sisterhood who sing canticles to pacify the eternal storm. When she learns of a mysterious sickness spreading through the city's populace, she feels it is her duty to help, even though her order has abandoned the afflicted to their fate. With fellow rebel sisters, her search into the root cause will lead her away from the light into the dark heart of the city where danger lurks.

Geil is a creature born of Dream and bound to the Drake form she conjured to survive her Academy training. While nightmare-hunting she encounters a young girl with the dreamer gift and feels compelled to save her from enduring the same cruel fate she faced. But this means returning to the jet-black city, home to the past she has tried to outrun and navigating the political turbulence in the wake of an election.

As each pursues their own ends, they soon discover that they share common goals. But can they find a way to learn from the secrets the city has buried within its past before their whole world turns into a living nightmare?

'What a great read. This is a powerful debut with beautifully sharp prose, distinct characters that leap out of the page, a complex and realistic world full of unpleasant personalities and a magic system that is wonderfully imaginative. This book is well worth your time' - JOHN GWYNNE

'Dreams of beauty and nightmarish beasts; skyships and sunken libraries; the mother of all storms . . . This was absolute catnip for me! I cannot wait to see what magic Valcárcel spins next'- MARIE BRENNAN

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS THAT I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MYSELF! It sounds SO COOL!!!

Andromeda by E.S. McLeod
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Aethiopian (North African) sapphic MC, F/F
Published on: 14th May 2026
Goodreads

Blessed by the gods with unparalleled beauty, Andromeda lives a life of ease within her Aethiopian palace walls. Content with her sanctuary, the young princess has no concerns other than the royal expectations her parents have for her – until a single, fateful proclamation changes everything.

When the queen defies the gods with a blasphemous claim, Poseidon, fearsome God of the Seas, delivers a deadly ultimatum that puts the queen’s life in Andromeda’s hands. Poseidon sends his loyal servant, the shape-shifting Ceto, to seal the princess’s fate.

But Ceto is not just a servant. With a sharp tongue and hardened heart, she has little interest in the princess’s appearance – and even less in the games of gods. Yet an undeniable tension begins to bloom between them, and both quickly realise Andromeda’s beauty is not only a gift, but a weapon to wield. As Poseidon’s judgement draws ever closer, the two women find themselves pulled into something far more passionate – and dangerous – than either could have predicted...

I actually don’t know anything about Andromeda, I don’t think, so I’m cautiously interested in finding out more about her…

Blood of the Gods (The Divine Archive Book 1) by Wren L. Rivers
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC
Published on: 14th May 2026
Goodreads

Falling. Frigid steel. Sharp, acidic pain. A mounting desperation to escape, even if it means diving into the ocean’s unforgiving depths.

This is all Stranger can remember.

When the crew of the Vengeance rescues them from certain death at the hands of Midir’s endless ocean, the gruff and obstinate Captain Jonah Morgan is quick to interrogate. Who are they? Where did they come from? Why was somebody drawing their blood?

But Stranger has no answers—not even a name to call their own. The only information they can offer is a description of the man who had tortured them.

Slowly, they realize their missing memories play not only a pivotal role in their own personal identity, but also in the grander entanglement of mortality and the divine. The God King Einari’s cataclysmic Great Flood had ravaged Midir one thousand years ago—an act of divine rage that had drowned continents and killed billions. But even now, the prospect of human extinction looms beneath the endless waves.

Somewhere, locked away in Stranger’s missing memories, is the key to human salvation.

Besides having an interesting premise, this is by an autistic author! I’ve had great luck with openly autistic storytellers so I’m hoping I’ll love this!

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

Safe Food: A Queer Splatterpunk Novel by Taylor Z. Adams
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 15th May 2026
Goodreads

THEY'RE HERE. THEY'RE QUEER. THEY'RE AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN.

Margo Noir is the undead heartbeat of Transcendent Studios, headlining queer adult films and feeding freely on the city when the cameras finish rolling, all while battling a growing hunger for her human co-star: Celeste.

When vampire hunters attack with a vendetta that traces directly to Margo's buried past, the question becomes clear: how much blood is she willing to shed to protect the only family that's ever accepted her?

From the author of Something's Wrong With Maddie comes Safe Food, a novel just as unapologetically queer as it is extreme.

I think I should stay far away from anything calling itself splatterpunk, but perhaps some of you might enjoy it!

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

Silver Is the Night by Vana Elaire
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 16th May 2026
Goodreads

The quickest way to a man’s heart is poison.

Valencia Baptiste is a shop owner by day, selling the most delectable—and deadly—rich sweets the French Quarter has to offer. By night she perfects her ingredient list, crafting pastries that are designed to do more than satisfy a craving. One bite of her chocolate covered beignets can stop a man’s heart, because the confections aren’t just a guilty pleasure. They’re a secret recipe she’s used for years to liberate the women of New Orleans from the men who would break them. Her service is the city’s best-kept secret, until the arrival of a charming new sheriff, Alexias Evergreen, threatens to spoil all she has created. As Alexias investigates the mysterious deaths of local men, the walls of Valencia’s bakery begin to close in. Alexias is observant, persistent, and far more dangerous than the abusive men she’s sent to the cemetery—because he isn’t merely a lawman hunting a killer, he’s something ancient hunting for a darkness that rivals his own.

Silver is the Night is a lush, Southern Gothic tale of poison and desire set in the 1800s French Quarter, a city of salt-damp stone where ancient sins and fresh bodies flow into the same river.

Always interested in a story where the main character cooks – and this one poisons, too!

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

Related Posts