I didn’t do a Must-Have Monday post last week, because there just weren’t that many releases to get excited over (that I knew about, anyway). But this week more than makes up for it! We have NINE new books to feature, ranging from Arthurian retellings to a magical queer treasure hunt!
Genres: Magical Realism
Published on: 6th July 2021
Goodreads
Inspired by the Greek myth of Iphigenia and the Grimm fairy tale “Brother and Sister,” Michelle Ruiz Keil’s second novel follows two siblings torn apart and struggling to find each other in early ’90s Portland.
All her life, seventeen-year-old Iph has protected her sensitive younger brother, Orr. But this summer, with their mother gone at an artist residency, their father decides it’s time for fifteen-year-old Orr to toughen up at a wilderness boot camp. When he brings Iph to a work gala in downtown Portland and breaks the news, Orr has already been sent away. Furious at his betrayal, Iph storms off and gets lost in the maze of Old Town. Enter George, a queer Robin Hood who swoops in on a bicycle, bow and arrow at the ready, offering Iph a place to hide out while she figures out how to track down Orr.
Orr, in the meantime, has escaped the camp and fallen in with The Furies, an all-girl punk band, and moves into the coat closet of their ramshackle pink house. In their first summer apart, Iph and Orr must learn to navigate their respective new spaces of music, romance, and sex work activism—and find each other to try to stop a transformation that could fracture their family forever.
Told through a lens of magical realism and steeped in myth, Summer in the City of Roses is a dazzling tale about the pain and beauty of growing up.
Keil’s debut had really gorgeous prose, and I would really like some more of it, please and thank you. I’m officially Tired of Greek mythology, but I’m willing to give it a go when it’s an urban, magical-realism retelling. And a queer Robin Hood?! Hells yes!
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Secondary World Fantasy
Representation: Asexual MC
Published on: 6th July 2021
Goodreads
From the author of Mask of Shadows comes a dark and intricate story of a girl who must tether herself to a violent ruler to save her crumbling world.
Lorena Adler has a secret—she holds the power of the banished gods, the Noble and the Vile, inside her. She has spent her entire life hiding from the world and her past. She’s content to spend her days as an undertaker in a small town, marry her best friend, Julian, and live an unfulfilling life so long as no one uncovers her true nature.
But when the notoriously bloodthirsty and equally Vile crown prince comes to arrest Julian’s father, he immediately recognizes Lorena for what she is. So she makes a deal—a fair trial for her betrothed’s father in exchange for her service to the crown.
The prince is desperate for her help. He’s spent years trying to repair the weakening Door that holds back the Vile…and he’s losing the battle. As Lorena learns more about the Door and the horrifying price it takes to keep it closed, she’ll have to embrace both parts of herself to survive.
“A triumphant dark fantasy, What We Devour serves up an incredibly smart magic system with a side of eat-the-rich energy.” —Rosiee Thor, author of Tarnished Are the Stars
This seems to be an either love-it-or-hate-it book from the early reviews, but an asexual protagonist stuck with a messed-up magic system? I’m intrigued. And let’s be fair: Miller’s books have been pretty stellar so far!
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bi/pansexual MC, queer side character/s
Published on: 6th July 2021
Goodreads
ALKA CHELRAZI IS ON A MISSION:
1. Infiltrate Blackwater Academy
2. Win the Great Game
3. Burn Wizard society to the groundAs a child, Alka witnessed her parents' brutal murder at the hands of Wizards before she was taken in by an underground rebel group.
Now, Alka is deep undercover at the most prestigious school of magic in the Republic: Blackwater Academy, a place where status is everything, where decadent galas end in blood-splattered duels, where every student has their own agenda. To survive, Alka will have to lie, cheat, kill, and use every trick in her spy's toolkit. And for the first time in her life, the fiercely independent Alka will have to make friends in order to recruit the misfits and the outcasts into her motley rebellion.
But even as she draws closer to victory — to vengeance — she sinks deeper into danger as suspicious professors and murderous rivals seek the traitor in their midst, and dark revelations unravel her resolve. Can Alka destroy the twisted game...without becoming a part of it?
I keep seeing this described as ‘girl Harry Potter out to burn down Hogwarts’ so, you know, you have my attention???
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Representation: Pansexual MC, lesbian love interest, F/F or wlw
Published on: 6th July 2021
Goodreads
A diehard city girl, 16-year-old Lydia Barnes is reluctant to spend a week in her grandma’s small town. But hidden beneath Fairbrooke’s exterior of shoddy diners and empty farms, there’s a forest that calls to her. In it, she meets Eden: blunt, focused, and fascinating. She claims to be hunting fae treasure, and while Lydia laughs it off at first, it quickly becomes obvious that Eden’s not joking—magic is real.
Lydia joins the treasure hunt, thrilled by all the things it offers her. Things like endless places in the forest to explore and a friendship with Eden that threatens to blossom into something more. But even as she throws herself into her new adventure, some questions linger. Why did her mom keep magic a secret? Why do most of the townspeople act like the forest is evil? It seems that, as much as Lydia would like to pretend otherwise, not everything in Fairbrooke is as bright and easy as a new crush…
This sounds very light-hearted (and has a really lovely feel-good cover too) but apparently it actually gets darker as it goes along, as the mystery around the treasure comes to light. And honestly, I absolutely love what I’ve heard about the MC; it sounds like Maria’s dialogue is really on-point, and I am here for disaster pansexuals!
Genres: Fantasy
Published on: 6th July 2021
Goodreads
In this fast-paced dark fantasy debut, the Fae seek to rebel against their Goblin oppressors over one long bloody night.
The Iron City is a prison, a maze, an industrial blight. It is the result of a war that saw the Goblins grind the Fae beneath their collective boot heels. And tonight, it is also a city that churns with life. Tonight, a young fae is trying to make his fortune one drug deal at a time; a goblin prince is searching for a path between his own dreams and others' expectations; his bodyguard is deciding who to kill first; an artist is hunting for her own voice; an old soldier is starting a new revolution; a young rebel is finding fresh ways to fight; and an old woman is dreaming of reclaiming her power over them all. Tonight, all their stories are twisting together, wrapped up around a single bag of Dust--the only drug that can still fuel Fae magic--and its fate and theirs will change the Iron City forever.
This one seems to be another love-it-or-hate-it, with a lot of early readers head-over-hells for the setting, and others unconvinced by the cast. I won’t know which side I’m on until I read it, but I do think the premise is great.
Genres: Fantasy
Published on: 6th July 2021
Goodreads
Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.
Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama's betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.
I suspect I won’t be able to read this, just because The Six Swans (the fairytale Lim’s drawn inspiration from) is too close to the Irish Children of Lir myth, which is tangled up with some childhood memories I don’t want to deal with. It’s a ridiculously gorgeous cover, though!
Genres: Fantasy
Published on: 6th July 2021
Goodreads
The Lady of Shalott reclaims her story in this bold feminist reimagining of the Arthurian myth from the New York Times bestselling author of Ash Princess.
Everyone knows the legend. Of Arthur, destined to be a king. Of the beautiful Guinevere, who will betray him with his most loyal knight, Lancelot. Of the bitter sorceress, Morgana, who will turn against them all. But Elaine alone carries the burden of knowing what is to come--for Elaine of Shalott is cursed to see the future.
On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine runs free and learns of the ancient prophecies surrounding her and her friends--countless possibilities, almost all of them tragic.
When their future comes to claim them, Elaine, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana accompany Arthur to take his throne in stifling Camelot, where magic is outlawed, the rules of society chain them, and enemies are everywhere. Yet the most dangerous threats may come from within their own circle.
As visions are fulfilled and an inevitable fate closes in, Elaine must decide how far she will go to change fate--and what she is willing to sacrifice along the way.
Someone declared Sebastian the ‘next Madeline Miller’ based on this book, so I’m assuming this is going to be ridiculously awesome. And I’m always up for feminist retellings of Arthurian myth!
Genres: Epic Fantasy
Published on: 6th July 2021
Goodreads
Brian Staveley, author of The Emperor's Blades, gives readers the first book in a new epic fantasy trilogy based in the world of his popular series the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, The Empire's Ruin.
The Annurian Empire is disintegrating. The advantages it used for millennia have fallen to ruin. The ranks of the Kettral have been decimated from within, and the kenta gates, granting instantaneous travel across the vast lands of the empire, can no longer be used.
In order to save the empire, one of the surviving Kettral must voyage beyond the edge of the known world through a land that warps and poisons all living things to find the nesting ground of the giant war hawks. Meanwhile, a monk turned con-artist may hold the secret to the kenta gates.
But time is running out. Deep within the southern reaches of the empire and ancient god-like race has begun to stir.
What they discover will change them and the Annurian Empire forever. If they can survive.
DON’T pick this up unless you’ve already read the first trilogy, Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne! I mean yes, you could dive in here if you wanted to – Staveley has enough in place to give readers new to the series their bearings – but things will make much more sense, and pack a lot more of a punch, if you have the whole backstory. Empire’s Ruin takes place something like ten years after the end of the previous trilogy, and it’s freaking excellent. I couldn’t finish my early copy because I apparently can’t deal with grimdark at the moment (which this isn’t, quite, but it’s very close?) but I read enough to know that it’s easily as brilliant as the first trilogy.
Genres: Portal Fantasy
Published on: 10th July 2021
Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Tessa O’Sullivan has no idea magic exists. She figures she’s having a rough year plagued with black-outs, memory loss, and sleep deprivation. She doesn’t know her true self is bound in human form because the ancients punished her for defying them or that she ticked off a god who’s bent on destroying her.
When Tessa’s family disappears, she’s thrust into a world of magic and deadly curses with two boys. Musician Cyrus Burns may be her soulmate, or a thief sent to destroy her with a kiss. And Cyrus’s enemy Edric is a family friend, who also happens to be a powerful Elven King. He’s Tessa’s former lover from a past life and wants to keep her safe, even at the expense of her freedom.
Trusting either of them is impossible when they’re both keeping dangerous secrets. If Tessa doesn’t save her family, they’ll be lost forever, and she’ll be pulled, hooves kicking, into the underworld for all eternity. She’s about to learn as an immortal unicorn queen, there are some fates worse than death.
I know almost nothing about this, except that apparently, unicorns feature. For that alone, I’m willing to give it a try. WE DON’T GET ENOUGH UNICORN BOOKS, OKAY?
That’s a wrap! Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss some release I should know about? Let me know!
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