From the award-winning film The Shape of Water coming to us in book form, to the debut novel by Alexandra Christo featuring an enchanting siren. If you’re after some strong female characters, especially since we celebrated International Women’s Day last week, there’s Tessa Gratton’s The Queens of Innis Lear and Kim Wilkin’s Daughters of the Storm. Discover some magic in Good Guys or The Wicked Deep, or face some dragons in Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby!

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be checking one of these new releases out!

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton | Goodreads

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic. The king’s three daughters—battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia—know the realm’s only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted. Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.

The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus | Goodreads

Visionary storyteller Guillermo del Toro and celebrated author Daniel Kraus combine their estimable talent in this haunting, heartbreaking love story. Developed from the ground up as a bold two-tiered release—one story interpreted by two artists in the independent mediums of literature and film—The Shape of Water is unlike anything you’ve ever read or seen.

Good Guys by Steven Brust | Goodreads

Donovan was shot by a cop. For jaywalking, supposedly. The Foundation brought him back, and trained him. When Marci was fifteen, she levitated a paperweight and threw it at a guy she didn’t like. They trained her too. Susan got well into her Foundation training before they told her about the magic, but she’s as powerful as Donovan and Marci now. They can teleport, conjure shields that will stop bullets, and read information from the remnants of spells cast by others days before. They all work for the secretive Foundation. Which is okay, because the Foundation are the good guys. Aren’t they?

Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins | Goodreads

They are the daughters of a king, but they couldn’t be more different. Bluebell, a proud warrior; passionate Rose and queen of a neighbouring kingdom; the twins: vain Ivy, who lives for admiration, and zealous Willow, who lives for the gods; and Ash, who is discovering a dangerous talent for magic that might be a gift–or a curse. When their father falls ill, they come together to save him and prevent their treacherous stepbrother from seizing the throne. Their mission: find the powerful witch who can cure the king. But if this royal family breaks, it could destroy the kingdom.

Zero Limit by Jeremy K. Brown | Goodreads

For war hero Caitlin Taggart, mining work on the Moon is dirty, low pay, and high risk. But no risk seems too extreme if it helps her return to Earth and the daughter she loves more than life itself. Offered a dangerous, long-shot chance to realise that dream, Caitlin will gamble with more than just her life. By leading a ragtag crew of miners on a perilous assignment to harvest an asteroid, Caitlin could earn a small fortune. More importantly, it would give her clearance to return to Earth. But when an unexpected disaster strikes the mission, Caitlin is plunged into a race to save not only herself, but every human being on Earth.

The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes | Goodreads

A haunting novel of the near future that combines a prescient look at how climate change and industrial flight will shape our world with a deeply personal story of one man running from his past. With glowing prose, Eric Barnes brings into sharp focus questions of how we come to call a place home and what is our capacity for violence when that home becomes threatened.

Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby | Goodreads

Firefighter Cole Brannigan is on the verge of retirement after 30 years on the job, and a decade fighting dragons. But during his final fire call, he discovers he’s immune to dragon smoke. It’s such a rare power that he’s immediately conscripted into the elite dragon-fighting force known as the Smoke Eaters. Retirement cancelled, Brannigan is re-assigned as a lowly rookie, chafing under his superiors. So when he discovers a plot to take over the city’s government, he takes matters into his own hands. With hundreds of innocent civilians in the crosshairs, it’s up to Brannigan and his fellow Smoke Eaters to repel the dragon menace.

Torn by Rowenna Miller | Goodreads

Sophie is a dressmaker with a reputation for beautiful ball gowns and discreetly-embroidered charms for luck, love, and protection secures her a commission from the royal family itself — and the commission earns her the attentions of a dashing but entirely unattainable duke. Meanwhile, Kristos rises to prominence in the growing anti-monarchist movement. Their worlds collide when the revolution’s shadow leader takes him hostage and demands that Sophie place a curse on the queen’s Midwinter costume — or Kristos will die at their hand.

The Invasion by Peadar Ó Guilín | Goodreads

After so much danger, Nessa and Anto can finally dream of a happy life. But the terrible attack on their school has created a witch-hunt for traitors — boys and girls who survived the Call only by making deals with the enemy. To the authorities, Nessa’s guilt is obvious. Her punishment is to be sent back to the nightmare of the Grey Land for the rest of her life. The Sídhe are waiting, and they have a very special fate planned for her. Meanwhile, with the help of a real traitor, the enemy come pouring into Ireland at the head of a terrifying army. Every human they capture becomes a weapon. 

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo | Goodreads

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever. However, he just happens to hunt sirens.

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg | Goodreads

Adapted from her beloved “Children’s Stories Made Horrific” series, this is a collection of darkly mischievous stories based on classic fairy tales. Sinister and inviting, familiar and alien all at the same time, The Merry Spinster updates traditional children’s stories and fairy tales with elements of psychological horror, emotional clarity, and a keen sense of feminist mischief.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw | Goodreads

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbour and pulling them under. Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Looking for more books? Check out our list on Goodreads!

Any other new March Book Releases we should check out? Tell us in the comments below!

The post March Book Releases: Fantasy + Sci-Fi appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Perhaps you may be after a great new fantasy, which you can find in Tessa Gratton’s The Queens of Innis Lear or a chilling thriller in the form of Bone Music by Christopher Rice!

If poetry is more your speed, try the latest collection by Amanda Lovelace, author of The Princess Saves Herself In This One. Of course, there’s also the latest novel by New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice.

Read on to discover some of our picks and tell us in the comments if you will be reading any of them!

Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan | Goodreads

Ren Ishida receives news of his sister Keiko’s sudden and grisly death. He heads to Akakawa still failing to understand why she chose to abandon the family and Tokyo for this desolate town years ago. There he finds himself accepting both her teaching position and the bizarre arrangement of free lodging at a wealthy politician’s mansion in exchange for reading to the man’s catatonic wife. Haunted in his dreams by a young girl who is desperately trying to tell him something, Ren struggles to find solace in the void his sister has left behind.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi | Goodreads

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao | Goodreads

A searing, electrifying debut novel set in India and America, about a once-in-a-lifetime friendship between two girls who are driven apart but never stop trying to find one another again. In breathtaking prose, Shobha Rao tackles the most urgent issues facing women today: domestic abuse, human trafficking, immigration, and feminism. 

The Witch Doesn’t Burn In This One by Amanda Lovelace | Goodreads

The witch: supernaturally powerful, inscrutably independent, and now—indestructible. These moving, relatable poems encourage resilience and embolden women to take control of their own stories. Enemies try to judge, oppress, and marginalize her, but the witch doesn’t burn in this one.

Bone Music by Christopher Rice | Goodreads

Charlotte Rowe spent the first seven years of her life in the hands of the only parents she knew—a pair of serial killers who murdered her mother and tried to shape Charlotte in their own twisted image. If only the nightmare had ended when she was rescued. Instead, her real father exploited her tabloid-ready story for fame and profit—until Charlotte finally broke free from her ghoulish past and fled. Just when she thinks she has buried her personal hell forever, Charlotte is swept into a frightening new ordeal.

Obsidio by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman | Goodreads

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they’ll find seven months after the invasion? Meanwhile, Kady’s cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza’s ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha’s past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heros will fall, and hearts will be broken.

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova | Goodreads

From neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice comes a powerful and heartbreaking exploration of regret, forgiveness, freedom, and what it means to be alive. As poignant and powerful as Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You, Every Note Played is a masterful exploration of redemption and what it means to find peace inside of forgiveness.

The Red Word by Sarah Henstra | Goodreads

The Red Word captures beautifully the feverish binarism of campus politics and the headlong rush of youth toward new friends, lovers, and life-altering ideas. With strains of Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Marriage Plot, Alison Lurie’s Truth and Consequences, and Tom Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons, Sarah Henstra’s debut adult novel arrives on the wings of furies.

Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala | Goodreads

In the tradition of Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, Speak No Evilexplores what it means to be different in a fundamentally conformist society and how that difference plays out in our inner and outer struggles. It is a novel about the power of words and self-identification, about who gets to speak and who has the power to speak for other people. As heart-wrenching and timely as his breakout debut, Beasts of No Nation, Uzodinma Iweala’s second novel cuts to the core of our humanity and leaves us reeling in its wake.

Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen | Goodreads

After her mother is shot at a checkpoint, fifteen-year-old Sarah–blonde, blue-eyed, and Jewish–finds herself on the run from a government that wants to see every person like her dead. Then Sarah meets a mysterious man with an ambiguous accent, a suspiciously bare apartment, and a lockbox full of weapons. He’s a spy, and he needs Sarah to become one, too, to pull off a mission he can’t attempt on his own: infiltrate a boarding school attended by the daughters of top Nazi brass, befriend the daughter of a key scientist, and steal the blueprints to a bomb that could destroy the cities of Western Europe.

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton | Goodreads

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic. The king’s three daughters—battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia—know the realm’s only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted. Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.

The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes | Goodreads

A haunting novel of the near future that combines a prescient look at how climate change and industrial flight will shape our world with a deeply personal story of one man running from his past. With glowing prose, Eric Barnes brings into sharp focus questions of how we come to call a place home and what is our capacity for violence when that home becomes threatened.

Looking for more books? Check out our list on Goodreads!

Like the sound of any of these books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post March Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.