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 (especially anything that strikes me as ‘outside the box’) occasionally makes it in too. Corrections and suggestions are very welcome!

TWENTY-ONE books this week!

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

A River Wide by Amanda J. McGee
Genres: Adult, Horror
Representation: Queer MC
Published on: 7th September 2026
Goodreads

Mountains have deep, dark hearts, and those hearts are carved by water. Deep in the shadowed hollers of Appalachia, Rhia Blackburn has always kept her powers and her heart buried. Around here, the river whispers dark secrets, the earth remembers every cut, and survival is a skill women pass down in blood.

But when her cousin Amey is kidnapped up the mountain, Rhia is forced to confront the terror of her home and her own troubled history. To save her, Rhia must trust her powers—and herself—because in Appalachia, family comes first and water always finds a way.

An Appalachian horror novella about family, grief, and the stubborn strength it takes to survive.

CSE Cooney said of this one that it ‘Floods the senses with river water and witchcraft’, and if her stamp of approval is on a book, I’m reading it!

(Her full blurb was “Like Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic, and Amal El-Mohtar’s The River Has Roots, Amanda J. McGee’s novella A River Wide taps the bonds of sisterhood, survival, and power, and floods the senses with river water and witchcraft. McGee’s characters have a deep, Dillard-esque, and — dare I say — holy bond with the Appalachian landscape, which can be capricious, cruel, generous, or tender in turns, much like the prose itself. A River Wide wanders deftly into various creeks and hollows of genre: thriller, ghost story, romance, family drama, and a middle-of-life coming-of-age. It moved me, deeply.”)

Wickhills by Premee Mohamed
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

In the dangerous magical city of Wickhills, a streetwise secret agent is tasked with protecting a foreign defector from his pursuers... even at the threat of war.

Looking after a defecting scientist should have been Ferec's easiest mission. But now he's on the run from the intelligence agency she works for, dodging a handler who might have gone rogue, and relying on a secret patchwork of illicit resources and dodgy contacts. Turns out his defector might be carrying an apocalypse-level magical weapon ― and protecting it requires Ferec and his team to go underground, literally. Down here, the rules are very different... and the tense peace between every city in the world will shatter unless Ferec can drag their darkest secrets into the light.

I read an early copy of this and ADORED IT UTTERLY! Even if you’ve never quite clicked with one of this author’s books before, this is the one that will make you a fan. Also, there is a MANTICORE who WEARS A SUIT. You should read this just for him!

You can read an excerpt here!

My review!

A Snake Among Swans (The Wing and the Ways, #1) by Hannah Kaner
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Lesbian MCs
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

The #1 internationally bestselling author of Godkiller begins a bold new fantasy trilogy—a dark, atmospheric tale of warring kingdoms, wild magic, female rage, and the choice between love and power in a world ruled by conquest.

“Death is come to take you home, death of blood and thorn and bone…”

Tilde has always heard the whispers of the kithwood, the voices of her ancestors speaking through the mysterious forest of her homeland. But now both the kithwood and her kingdom are in danger, for Tilde is the only surviving heir of a conquered land. To stop the bloodshed, she must marry the aging Swan King, Liran, and bear him a son.

But the king’s court is dangerous. Liran’s older sons will do whatever it takes to remove Tilde. And her presence stirs conflict in the heart of Liran’s daughter, the princess Elise, who has only ever known loyalty to her family.

Yet none of them know that Tilde is a snake in their midst, with allies on her side and dark, forbidden power of her own. She wants her kingdom back, and she will sacrifice everything to claim it.For the queen to rise, the swans must fall.

*chef’s kiss* Another one I got to read early, and it’s freaking MAGNIFICENT. Brace for a lot of fantasy!misogyny, but so worth it!

You can read an excerpt here!

My review!

King's Shield (Inda, #3) by Sherwood Smith
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy
Representation: Autistic MC, secondary gay character, secondary character with dyslexia and speech impediment
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

Acclaimed Inda series within Sherwood Smith's epic fantasy Sartorias-deles universe • Military fantasy woven with courtly politics, vast worldbuilding, and diverse characters

For nearly nine years, Inda has been at sea, living under a new name and forcing himself to never think of all he had lost. He created a new life, for the military skills that had been trained into him and his own inborn strategic skill led him to mutiny against the pirate that had captured him, and take his followers into a battle against the infamous Brotherhood of Blood. As a pirate raiding pirates, he has earned a reputation for being one of the most dangerous fleets on the waters.

But when Inda discovers that his home country is about to be attacked from the sea by an ancient enemy, he throws his seagoing days to the winds and returns home. After nearly a decade at sea, Inda finds his home utterly changed. His good friend Evred, the formerly powerless and harassed younger prince, is now king. Evred has heard of Inda's martial accomplishments at sea, and is determined to make Inda his Royal Shield Arm—the person in charge of defending the entire kingdom.

And Inda has to learn how to conduct a land war while on the march against an enemy outnumbering his force ten to one.

This is the new polished edition! Smith has said most of the changes have been things like fixing typos and minor continuity errors, so I GUESS you don’t need this edition if you already love the series. But I’m nabbing one! (And if you’re buying the ebook, I strongly recommend buying it via Book View Cafe, who are publishing it – it’s cheaper through them!)

If you DON’T know this series, do NOT start here – but it’s one of the best High Fantasy series written in English, and I can’t recommend it enough! (My review of book one.)

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

The Enigmatic Madam Ingram (Miss Cassidy, #2) by Meihan Boey
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Biracial MC
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

Finalist for the 2023 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

In this exciting sequel to the multi-award-winning novel, The Formidable Miss Cassidy, Letty Ingram, a half-Malayan lady raised in the UK, has suffered under a strange curse her whole life. Her beautiful and fearsome mother, from an unknown island in the Malay Archipelago, is the key to the mystery. Letty arrives in Singapore in 1906 to seek the help of the Chinese medium, Madam Kay. But Madam Kay’s whole family gets involved, including her sister, her father…and their unusual mutual friend, the formidable Miss Cassidy.

Author Meihan Boey illustrates the lengths Letty will go to in order to save her own soul, and reveals how Miss Cassidy's past has caught up with her, in the shape of a worthy opponent: a terrifying jungle spirit the native folk call the Bungadarah.

I think this has been out in the UK for a while, but it’s finally reaching the US! I had so much fun with the first book, and am looking forward to seeing what shenanigans Miss Cassidy et al get up to this time!

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

The Quiet Resurrection of Sister Evelida Livingston by Nick Wallin
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MCs
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

A small-town occult horror for fans of Mona Awad’s Bunny and Grady Hendrix’s The Final Girl Support Group, blending ritual magic, toxic friendship, and queer terror in New England.

Witchcraft was just a game. Until the bodies started piling up.

Cinnamon Christine Carmichael doesn’t remember the killings. Not at first. But the blood on her hands, the whispers in her head, and the smile on her best friend Hedda’s face say enough. Something has been unleashed—and it’s using them to grow.

Two teenagers are burned alive in a corn maze as the crowd watches, paralyzed, filming every second. It’s the latest in a string of ritualistic murders that defy explanation. Sheriff Henry McGinty has seen a lot in his time—but nothing like this.

So he calls in Sister Eve.

Eve sees what others can’ echoes of the dead, glimpses of the future. But this time, the visions are fragmented. Wrong. As if something is blocking her sight. Something old. Something evil. Something wearing the face of her mother, reincarnated in the body of a teenage girl.

As Halloween nears, Cinnamon’s coven races to complete a ritual that could bring the Devil himself to earth—and Eve, Henry, and irreverent deputy Fink may be the last line of defense between our world and utter damnation.

Once the spell begins, it can't be undone.

And Hell is already watching.

The reviews are very mixed – it seems to be a love it or hate it book? That premise is really intriguing, though.

Japanese Folk Tales: The Man Who Made Dead Trees Blossom and Other Fairy Stories by Kyota Ko
Genres: Fantasy
Representation: Japanese setting and cast
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

Magical cats. Enchanted waterfalls. Dragon kingdoms. Enter the dazzling world of Japanese folklore, in a deluxe new edition of original stories.

This luxurious volume, featuring a ribbon marker and gilt sprayed edges, brings together twenty tales from Hasegawa Takejiro's Fairy Tale Series, originally published in Japan between 1885 and 1903.

In turn poetic, humorous, ghostly, and inspiring, the stories will delight fans of myth and legend, as well as lovers of Japanese culture.

Original woodcut illustrations colorfully bring ancient Japan to life, from brave Samurais to trickster foxes and glittering palaces under the sea.

This is a treasure trove of unexpected tales, fantastical creatures, and uniquely Japanese mythology.

I haven’t been able to find out who has actually written these – even if they’re ancient stories, someone had to put them into words for this collection…?

She's a Doll by Barbara Truelove
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Lesbian MC
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

Lucy isn’t a normal girl. Ghost. Victim. Killer. She’s a doll on a mission—to find the man who killed her and return the favor.

Lucy McQuinn has been murdered, but she’s not about to go quietly.

If she doesn’t get to keep breathing, then neither does Kyle, her killer. Possessing the body of an antique doll, she sets out on a quest for revenge. But it’s hard when you’re eighteen inches tall and made of porcelain.

For help, she turns to Nicola, a human and fellow outsider with her own reasons to hate Kyle. But in their small idyllic town, no one wants to hear the truth, especially not about such a promising young man. If they can’t expose his crimes, Lucy will have to roll up her lacy little sleeves and teach him a lesson the old-fashioned way—as slowly and painfully as possible.

From LA Times bestselling author Barbara Truelove, She’s a Doll is a ghoulish and gleeful tribute to the unstoppable power of female rage and a love letter to the friends who have our back—in this life and the next.

This sounds EXTREMELY fun, and I’ve heard nothing but love for this author’s other book, Of Monsters and Mainframes! Which suggests this one should be great too, no?

You can read an excerpt here!

The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories by Ken Liu
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Sci Fi
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

The long-awaited next collection by the master of short stories and author of the award-winning Paper Menagerie and Other Stories.

Thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and wonderous are some of the many ways the fifteen stories in this collection will engage readers. Ken Liu continues to delight and challenge your perceptions as one of the most accomplished and lauded American short story writers of our time.

If you’re a Liu fan, make sure to check out the Broken Binding edition of this one – it’s stunning! You can read about it here.

With All My Haunted Heart by Isabel Sterling
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Cosy Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

A witch hired to ethically haunt a small-town B&B instead finds herself spellbound by her non-magical client in this cozy and enchanting sapphic romance

Steadily losing clients to the new DIY-magic shop on the other side of town, Pippa Ainsley is getting desperate. Instead of hiring the witch to correct their magical maladies, local mundanes have been taking their chances with the cheaper—and unpredictable—crystals and herb blends. So when Pippa’s best friend hires her to inspect his newly acquired bed-and-breakfast for ghosts, she doesn’t think twice about it.

That is, until she learns that his unfairly attractive co-owner, Elle Thompson, doesn’t want Pippa to rid their business of spirits. She wants Pippa to give them an edge over the competition by haunting their B&B.

It’s the perfect challenge for Pippa’s experimental magic, but just because she could figure it out, doesn’t mean it’s a smart or safe idea. But Elle is persistent, and the financial boost could save her own business if Pippa succeeds. Soon, Pippa finds herself testing the limits of her magic… and her ability to stop the growing attraction she feels toward Elle, a woman with a painful secret of her own.

Anyone completely charmed by the idea of ‘ethical haunting’???

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

Massif by Garth Nix
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

From New York Times bestseller and master of speculative fiction Garth Nix comes his first foray into adult science fiction with a brilliant and poignant stand-alone story of sentient starships, galactic warfare, and the bonds a crew forms far, far from Earth.

Caught me a mountain
Rode it to the stars

It’s business as usual for Ship Leader Parnell Shi-Sawahla and the crew of the corvette Sassafras. Ride a Massif to a new system, fight the enemy, repeat. For more than two hundred years humans have been hitching rides on these sentient, starfaring mountain ranges, colonizing planets and exporting an on and off again war between Earth and Mars.

But the big questions are always there, behind every battle, every new colony, every new star system discovery.

Why do the Massifs carry humans to the stars?
Why do they help us export our wars?
What’s in it for the Massifs?

Ship crews aren’t supposed to ask these questions, they aren’t supposed to think about these questions, and they definitely aren’t supposed to go deep and talk to Massif avatars. But now Parnell and his tight-knit crew must try to find the answers, to save not only themselves but the future of humanity.

Riding mountains into space?! MOUNTAINS??? I need to read this just to find out WTF!

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

Twig's Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Cosy Fantasy
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

A witch with a magical affinity for books who owns a travelling bookstore reluctantly teams up with a charming rogue, her former professor and a gnome in search of a rare stolen grimoire.

Romance is easier read than done

Louella Twig is the only witch of her kind, much to the disappointment of her former mentor and her previous academic ambitions. While others connect to nature as their source of magic, Louella has an affinity with books. Denied her graduation broom, Louella carves a new path using her talent, creating a magical ambulatory bookshop that travels throughout the realm uniting readers with stories.

She lives a cosy, stable life, until she collides - quite literally - with a mysterious man between the Romance and Adventure aisles. Everett Sharp is handsome, charming ... and a rogue on the run. He's absolutely not someone Louella wishes to share either an adventure or a romance with. But then her old mentor arrives with a desperate a valuable grimoire has been stolen and there is only one witch who can retrieve what has been lost... a witch who now finds herself in need of a bandit with experience.

Together with friends both old and new, Louella and Everett embark on an adventure across the four kingdoms, encountering whimsical creatures, a flying greenhouse full of plant pirates and a magical World's Fair. Along the way, Louella starts to wonder if this new chapter of her life could include some romance after all ...

Listen. LISTEN. I will always show up for book-witches. It’s that simple.

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

Darwin and the Queer Origins of Life: A History of Sex and Science by Ross Brooks
Genres: Adult, Nonfiction, Queer Protagonists
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

A revelatory history of sex, gender, and science from Linnaeus to Darwin

What did Darwin and Linnaeus really think about sex? In print, their descriptions of animal courtship painted a comfortingly traditional picture: males were belligerent show-offs, females were choosy and skittish, and the two came together in unions curiously akin to human marriage. But in truth, the forefathers of evolutionary science were acutely aware that this was not the whole story. The reality was far more messy and ambiguous.

In this iconoclastic history, Ross Brooks shows how queerness was at the heart of evolutionists’ thinking about the natural world. From hermaphroditic slugs and sex-changing birds to male pigeon lactation, pregnant male seahorses, and bisexual pigs, Darwin and his fellow naturalists were privately in awe of nature’s sexual diversity. These encounters fundamentally shaped their understanding of plants, animals, and humans, even if they were never fully acknowledged in their published writings.

Brooks radically exposes us to the hidden queerness of Georgian and Victorian science—and shows how nature has always been more sexually diverse than we’ve been told.

Since I found out about this book, my mind’s been spinning. Is this REAL? And accurate? Because if it is…gods!!!

You can read an excerpt here!

Espíritu (Cemetery Boys, #2) by Aiden Thomas
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Gay Latino MC, trans Latino boyfriend, M/M
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

New York Times-bestselling author Aiden Thomas returns to the beloved world of Cemetery Boys in Espiritu, this time following Julian, who is dealing with newfound powers, a new relationship with Yadriel, and the return of demons he had hoped were gone forever!

Julian used to be a ghost and now he can’t stop seeing them.

Ever since being sacrificed as part of a forbidden ritual, Julian has been able to see and communicate with the spirits of passed brujx. And that would be okay, if it allowed him to be part of his new boyfriend's community. But Julian’s also seeing other shadows in the corner of his eyes, glowing eyes in the dark, and “dark spots” on people – gaping, black gashes that are somehow wrong. He did ask his new magical boyfriend about it, but Yadriel has never heard of anything like it either, and he’s so busy with his new Brujx responsibilities, trying to figure out where all the new malingos are coming from, that Julian hates for his problems to ruin what little time together they have.

Then, a strange new brujx shows up. Ángel, as a nonbinary brujx, can heal the living and release the dead, but more than that, they can also see the same dark spots as Julian. Despite Yadriel’s reservations, Julian eagerly accepts their help. But, Ángel’s ruthless methods feel wrong to Julian, who wants to move away from hurting others.

With the shadows growing darker, and the discovery of a gaping dark spot on his friend Luca, Julian has to decide who he wants to put his trust in, and just how far he’s willing to go to save what is his.

The Cemetery Boys sequel! And it’s from Julian’s PoV!!! I completely missed hearing about that till now!

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

Wicked Endeavors by Kamilah Cole
Genres: Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, YA
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

Perfect for fans of The Shadows Between Us and Powerless, this high stakes romantasy follows a vengeful teen who cons her way into an elite society of tyrannical witches. But her warring feelings for two people—an enemy prince and her childhood friend—could ruin everything.

Caya was once the ward of Coventry’s royal family…until they were killed by the three witch Houses that now rule the peninsula.
 
Now eighteen, Caya plans to infiltrate the witches' glittering world to enact justice. With the help of a mysterious benefactor, she adopts the persona of Marisol Vinyet, a disarmingly beautiful aristocrat. As Marisol, she'll attend the annual Coronet, a cutthroat social season during which witches increase their power by binding new members to their Houses. The Coronet will draw even the prince of neighboring Domingo—Tomás Castellan—to the peninsula just in time for “Marisol” to kill him. After all, his family set the witches upon Coventry in the first place.
 
But Tomás is more charming than Caya ever anticipated. Worse, her estranged childhood friend, Bas Arroyo, is the prince’s protector, and she struggles to control her complicated feelings for him.
 
To take down the witches from within, Caya will have to keep both her identity and her desperate heart under Although she’s made herself a weapon, she might be the one to bleed.  

I’ve seen this described as ‘a love letter to the power of Black women’s anger’, and apparently the setting is inspired by Spain during the Renaissance? Very cool!

You can read an excerpt here!

Of Sorcery and Science by Mike Chen
Genres: Fantasy, Portal Fantasy, YA
Representation: Asian American MC, major Black character
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

A teen who is The Chosen One in a fantasy realms finds himself a nobody back home—that is, until magic appears in the real world and he must re-enter the portal to save a doomed realm.

Months after entering a portal, becoming a powerful mage, and saving a distant realm, disgruntled Asian American high schooler Andy Lao returns home to find that absolutely no one believes what happened to him. In fact, things are worse than ever before as his subpar science and math grades make him a target of his parents' disappointment. But how do you think about tests and college applications when you’re The Chosen One of a magical land?

One day, at the portal's location, Andy sees a glowing bit of mana on the ground. And with that, magic is possible again. But when a mysterious, surly teen girl comes through the portal, she claims to be the Chosen One . . . and that Andy’s the one who doomed the realm. Together, they’ll save magic—because the answer lies in modern science.

This sounds seriously epic, and I’m WILDLY curious about how they’re going to save the magical world with science!

You can read an excerpt here!

Adam, Mine. by K. Ancrum
Genres: Horror, Queer Protagonists, YA, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

From acclaimed author K. Ancrum, on the National Book Award longlist for The Corruption of Hollis Brown, and Lambda Literary Award winner for Icarus, comes a queer romantic horror thriller that is a love letter to Frankenstein about the consequences of our decisions, the legacy of family, and the depths we’ll go to be forgiven.

Victor Frankenstein is a young, wealthy, and brilliant prodigy who wants nothing more than to prove himself and change the world. His plan to right what he feels is wrong with the world? Reanimation of the sick and dying, bringing them back to life. But no one will give him the chance to prove his genius. However, one drunken night a bet is made, one that will cause Victor to do the take a teen boy from a small, neighboring village, and experiment on him under the dark of night. Elias Hilfiker. The boy who would become his monster. His curse. When Elias awakens, his voice is gone, his skin is stitched, scarred, and branded with strange symbols, and he’s abandoned by his loved ones. Meanwhile, Victor embarks on a journey to discover how to reverse the horror he’s unleashed, visiting dark alchemists in lands far and wide, gripped by fear and guilt.

But Victor’s act of resurrection creates a tether to Elias, leaving them feeling each other’s pain, joy, and regret, as the two each seek a way to end the other. As the two bound boys continue to search for answers and forgiveness, vengeance and mercy, the boundaries between what makes a man and what makes a monster will only get more blurred.

*grabby hands*

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

Traitors' Nest by Frances Hardinge
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Published on: 8th September 2026
Goodreads

Castles traded places sometimes. Everyone knew that. It was always something that might happen, except that it never had. It was one of those unlikelihoods, like finding treasure, or being eaten by a wolf, or having a handsome, powerful stranger turn up to right all your wrongs. It could happen, except it didn’t.

Until all of a sudden it did.

Far above the valleys and villages of the Kingdom of Thaletal, a Great Game is played. Players move castles around the realm like chess pieces - and the ordinary villagers are mere pawns at the whim of their tactics.

When 16-year-old Burr's peaceful village is disrupted by the arrival of an ominous new castle, he decides he's had enough. But what starts as a plucky coup soon escalates - and soon the castle is wrenched away to a far-flung corner of the kingdom, where whispers mount of a mysterious ancient maiden whose magpies collect her debts at dangerous prices.

Here, the stakes are higher than the tallest turrets, and every move counts. Burr must work with his sisters and friends - and rely on the unexpected help of a strange and intriguing heiress - to unravel the secrets of the Magpie Maiden and the origins of the Great Game before he becomes just another casualty of the Players' deadly contest.

This was out in the UK a couple weeks ago, but this week it makes it to the US!!! NEW HARDINGE EEEEEEEEE!

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

No Gods At Night: Book I by James Victor
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Filipino setting and cast
Published on: 9th September 2026
Goodreads

Magellan dies in the end. Lapulapu kills him.
Check Wikipedia and you'll easily know that.
But what if folklore creatures had a hand in weaving their history?

There are no such creatures on Lapulapu's island. He has banished those humans cursed for crimes against nature. For his legendary feat, the nymphean guardians responsible for the curse gone wrong reward him with bountiful harvests and the hand of their much-desired princess.

But a rumor takes root. Few of those creatures have gained the ability to unstably shapeshift back into humans. Some say Lapulapu secretly harbors them. Lies…but he soon learns that someone he loves is ironically one of them. They only want one thing—their full humanity back. Side with them and he'll face execution. Side with nature's guardians and he'll lose his beloved.

When Magellan drops anchor to colonize the islands, Lapulapu must choose—is he for either faction, for humanity, or for his entire homeland?

Under Spanish colonization, the war amongst Filipino folklore creatures rages for centuries, entangling real characters along the way. No Gods At Night Book I, first in a historical epic fantasy series, will traverse not only their struggle, but also their journey towards independence.

This sounds UTTERLY FANTASTIC and I am PINING for it!

You can download an excerpt here!

Song of the Sundered (Veins of Void, #1) by Bunny Notaro
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC/s
Published on: 9th September 2026
Goodreads

Suvie, a pink-scaled drakarith, and Varilius, the translucent man she can’t help but love, have carved out a quiet life serving the stern Noshua Druids, but peace is fragile. When Varilius’ long-buried past resurfaces, dragging with it enemies steeped in forbidden vexmornancy, their bond is tested in ways neither imagined.

Theirs is only one thread in a tapestry of voices: warriors, scholars, and outcasts weave the story of a world where the boundary between life and death is perilously thin. For readers of epic fantasy who crave romance entwined with dread, Veins of Void: Song of the Sundered is a sweeping multi-perspective saga of passion, peril, and the fragile light that survives in the deepest shadows.

Apparently this has FIFTEEN PoVs?! Which I find WILDLY exciting! (No idea if the pagecount is shared more or less equally between them, or if some PoVs only have a single chapter, or what.)

The Tea Witch's Purpose by Laura Greenwood, Ariana Jade
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Cosy Fantasy
Representation: Sapphic East Asian(?) MC, F/F
Published on: 10th September 2026
Goodreads

Most tea witches are healers, but that's not what Lian wants.

Tea witch and healer, Lian Ju Feng, has always been a woman of duty and order. Everything has its rules, and everything has its place. It's what makes life simple, even when she has to relocate to a new country and leave her home behind.

Pepper might be a tea witch, but there's nothing she loves more in life than baking and testing the boundaries of what makes a good pastry.

When the two women meet, they clash immediately over breakfast and their principles. It doesn't help that Pepper challenges everything Lian thought was true about herself... but maybe that's exactly what she needs.

-

The Tea Witch's Purpose is a cozy fantasy romance with a sapphic romance, a tea witch who likes things orderly, and one who loves to bake, unusual magic, a pinch of steam, and a happy ever after.

Technically this is 7th in a series, but I believe they’re all standalones so you can jump in wherever you like!

You can read an excerpt here! (Where it says View Preview beneath/beside 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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