Upcoming Releases: Spring 2022

Spring looks like it’s going to be pretty packed for new releases! It was kind of a struggle paring this list down… but that just means there’s more to be excited about! 😅 Here’s what I’m most looking forward to in March, April & May:

[All dates are taken from Goodreads unless stated otherwise, and are correct as of 7/3/2022.]

Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate (5th April)

A standalone sci-fi following a group of the teenage children of world leaders, who are the lone survivors of the apocalypse. I’ve never read anything by Riley Redgate before, and have been having rather so-so luck with YA in general lately, but I keep hearing this pitched as “Lord of the Flies in space”, which makes me very intrigued. 😊 Excitement level: 7/10

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse (19th April)

The sequel to my maybe-favourite book of last year, Black Sun, and my for-certain most anticipated release of this year! 😆 Black Sun followed a collection of characters – the vessel for an ancient god, a disgraced sea-captain, and a priestess surrounded by enemies – in the lead-up to a solar eclipse that is prophesied to throw the world into chaos… and it ended on a huge cliffhanger! So I expect to be picking up Fevered Star as soon as I possibly can. Excitement level: ∞/10

The Imagination Chamber by Philip Pullman (28th April)

… To be honest I’m not entirely sure what this is. 😅 It describes itself as a companion to the His Dark Materials series, “full of scenes featuring the iconic characters from Pullman’s classic fantasy series”, but beyond that I’m drawing a blank. An art book (though I haven’t seen any artists credited anywhere)? New stories from the HDM world? A bind-up of existing stories? Whatever it is, I’m sold! (… but also I would really like to know what this is.)  Excitement level: 6/10

Book Lovers by Emily Henry (5th May)

A new romance from the author or Beach Read and You & Me on Vacation, featuring an editor and a literary agent who keep running into each other on holiday – despite their best efforts. I skipped over Henry’s last novel as the synopsis wasn’t appealing to me, but I loved Beach Read, and Book Lovers sounds very much like it’ll be cut from the same cloth… or at least I hope it will! I probably won’t pick this up straight away, as I need to be in a very particular mood for straight-up romance, but I know what I’ll be reaching for as soon as that mood hits! 😁 Excitement level: 7/10

Honourable Mentions:

• Eternity Engine by Struan Murray (17th March) – the final book in the Orphans of the Tide trilogy.
• Skyward Flight by Brandon Sanderson (5th April) – a collection of short stories from the Skyward universe.
• Elektra by Jennifer Saint (28th April) – a new Greek mythology retelling from the author of Ariadne.
• Book of Night by Holly Black (3rd May) – Holly Black’s adult debut; a dark, urban fantasy following a con-artist with the power to manipulate shadows.

Upcoming Releases: Autumn 2021

As always, autumn seems to be a treasure trove of exciting new fantasy books, and there’s quite a few here that I’m dying to get my hands on (though I should probably try to restrain myself, as I went rather overboard with the book-buying in the last couple of months… 😓). It was a tough list to narrow down, but here are my most-anticipated releases for September, October & November:

[All dates are taken from Goodreads unless stated otherwise, and are correct as of 5/9/2021.]

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff (7th September)

The first in a new urban fantasy series set in a world where humans and vampires are at war, with a main character who’s the last  of an elite order of vampire hunters, and is now imprisoned by his immortal enemies… All I want from life right now is all the edgy vampire books that ever existed, and it seems like Jay Kristoff is prepared to oblige me! I’ve only read a few of his other books, but I’ve really liked them all, so my expectations for this book are pretty high! Let’s hope it lives up to them! 🤞  Excitement level: 8/10

Three Novels by Yuri Herrera (14th September)

A gorgeous new bind-up of Herrera’s three novellas: Kingdom Cons, Signs Preceding the End of the World, and The Transmigration of Bodies. I’ve already read the latter two of these, and they were excellent stories; engaging and thought-provoking, and showing glimpses of a Mexico that I had barely imagined… Excitement level: 6/10

Terciel & Elinor by Garth Nix (2nd November)

A new entry in the Old Kingdom series, one of my all-time favourite fantasy series! I don’t know (or really want to know) much about the plot at this point, but I do know that it will be set some time before Sabriel (the first book in the series), and following Sabriel’s parents. 😊 I’ve pre-ordered this already (mostly because Forbidden Planet are releasing an exclusive edition that matches the old UK hardbacks), and am awaiting its arrival with bated breath! Excitement level: 10/10

King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair (30th November)

Another vampire book! 🧛🏻‍♂️ (Did I mention that I’m into vampires at the moment?) This is kind of a wild-card entry on this list, though, as all I know about Scarlett St. Clair is that she wrote a Hades & Persephone retelling that I was kind of interested in for a little while… but this book sounds like it’s right up my alley! Centring around an arranged marriage between a vampire king and a human who wishes to kill him, King of Battle and Blood sounds like it’s going to be choc-full of drama and angst, which is exactly what I look for in my fantasy romance picks! 😁  Excitement level: 9/10

Honourable Mentions:

• The Tensorate Series by Neon Yang (21st September) – an omnibus edition of Yang’s novella series, which starts with The Black Tides of Heaven.
• For All Time by Shanna Miles (28th September) – a YA reincarnation (or possibly time loop?) romance!
• Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (5th October) – the start of a new fantasy series about a nun possessed by a malevolent spirit, from the author of An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns.
• Aurora’s End by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (9th November) – the final book in the Aurora Cycle.
• Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson (25th November) – the next book in the Skyward series.

Upcoming Releases: Autumn 2018

If summer is the season of YA, then autumn is definitely the season for sci-fi and fantasy (and even horror, with Halloween coming up), something that this list unintentionally reflects… This is great news for me, however, since that’s all I ever really want to read once the weather starts to get cold; give me a hot cup of tea, some nice warm socks, and a book I can sink my teeth into, and I’ll be happy for the rest of the year! ☕️🧦📚 With that in mind, here are (some of) the books I’m going to keeping an eye out for in September, October & November:

[All dates are taken from Amazon UK unless stated otherwise, and are correct as of 30/8/2018.]

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (25th September)

A retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, as told by Victor Frankenstein’s fiancée, Elizabeth Lavenza. I’ll admit that nothing about this book makes it seem like something that I would particularly want to read (from the basic premise, to the synopsis, the the incredibly off-putting cover), but I thought the same thing about The Conquerors Saga, which turned out to be amazing, so I’m cautiously optimistic about this one, too. My fingers are crossed; don’t let me down, Kiersten White! 🤞 Excitement level: 7/10

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor (2nd October)

The sequel to Strange the Dreamer, which follows the orphaned librarian Lazlo Strange, who is unexpectedly at the forefront of a conflict between humans and godspawn, in the tormented city of Weep. Probably the book on this list that I’m most excited for, as Strange the Dreamer ended on such a cliffhanger – and I’m extremely relieved that I don’t have much longer to wait! As with it’s predecessor, I will probably be getting this book in audio-form rather than in print, partially for continuity’s sake, but mainly because Steve West’s narration of the first book was incredible. Excitement level: 10/10

The Books of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (25th October)

A new bind-up of the entire Earthsea series, including three short stories (one of which has never been published in print before), and 50 illustrations by Charles Vess (whose work includes the amazing illustrated edition of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust). I already have a bind-up of the first four books in this series, and haven’t read all that much of it, but if I end up liking Earthsea as much as I anticipate I will, then I am much more likely to replace it with this beautiful edition than to just buy the last two books on their own… Excitement level: 6/10

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (6th November)

The first in a new sci-fi trilogy, which follows a young aspiring pilot by the name of Spensa, who finds an ancient – and sentient – spaceship. In addition to having loved everything I’ve read by Sanderson (though I haven’t read nearly as much as I would like to have), sentient A.I. has become something of a favourite topic of mine since reading Ancillary Justice, so this seems right up my alley. 💕 Hopefully it won’t disappoint! Excitement level: 6/10

Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin (20th November)

A history of the Targaryen family from Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire series… My excitement for Fire & Blood is tempered somewhat by the fact that it is not The Winds of Winter, and by my general dislike of Danaerys (the main series’ primary Targaryen representative), but on the other hand, what’s already been written about the family intrigues me, and I’m also looking forward to the extra detail that this book will undoubtedly add to the already-very-well-developed world of Westeros. Excitement level: 7/10

& some honourable mentions:

• 9 from the Nine Worlds by Rick Riordan (2nd October) – short stories from the Magnus Chase universe
• Soulbinder by Sebastien de Castell (4th October) – the fourth in the Spellslinger series
• Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (23rd October) – the final Throne of Glass book