Releasing on September 5th, The Dance of the Dolls is about obsessive love featuring two ballet dancers—identical twin sisters Olivia and Clara Marionetta—with a terrifying climax set in the world of ballet in pre-war London.

Novels set in the world of dance and theatre take readers beneath the glittering lights of the stage, right to the beating heart of what it means to be an artist. I love reading about the rehearsals, the training, the competition, as well as the grit, resilience and pain that comes with dedication to life as a performer.

My debut novel The Dance of the Dolls was inspired by own experiences at The Royal Ballet School, and the novel is both a love letter to ballet as well as an acknowledgement of the dangers that can emerge out of such obsessive commitment to dance. The Dance of the Dolls is set in 1930s London at the recently re-opened Sadler’s Wells theatre, and is immersed in closely researched ballet history. It is also a fictional story of two identical twin ballerinas, a piano player, and a pointe shoe maker, their obsessions and desires threatening to unravel their lives.

Here are some recently or soon to be published novels about dance and theatre that have captured my interest:

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

It was when I first visited New York City last year that I read The Chelsea Girls, another theatre-themed historical fiction novel by Fiona Davis that helped me to fall in love with my soon-to-be new home. The Spectacular is set in New York City in the 1950s, and is about a Radio City Rockette and a hunt for a dangerous criminal – the ideal mix of dance, drama, and crime.

Dances: A Novel by Nicole Cuffy

Describing Dances as the book she wishes she’d had available to her, Cuffy’s novel tells the story of the first Black principal dancer at a fictionalized version of New York City Ballet. A tale of searching for dreams, how to navigate success in a world that doesn’t make you feel as though you belong, and of the elusive and contradictory demands of the ‘ballet body’, this is an exciting addition to ballet fiction.

Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine

Set in Venice in the 18^th century at a prestigious music school, this book excites me because of the many similarities in intensity between the training of dancers and musicians. Two girls, their friendship, their competition, their obsession to be the best – a thrilling recipe of themes.

Edith Holler by Edward Carey

Set in a ramshackle English playhouse in 1901, the concept for this novel is intriguingly unique. I love the idea of a woman trapped in a theatre, desperate to find freedom, control, and a creativity of her own. The book is illustrated by the author, adding atmosphere to what promises to be a strange and compelling tale

They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey

Perhaps it is my recent move to New York City, but I am finding myself drawn to novels set in the American dance world. They’re Going to Love You is a beautifully written novel set in New York City during the AIDs crisis, as well as present-day Los Angeles. It is about the life of Carlisle Martin, a girl navigating her desire to follow in the footsteps of her dancer parents. This is a novel about ambition, love, and the pervasive and inescapable secrets of the past.

 

The post Five Dazzling Novels Set in the World of Dance and Theatre appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

2023 is here, so get ready to be amazed by the incredible books heading your way! In this round up, we take a look at an array of highly anticipated books releasing between the months of January and June from authors such as Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, Jesse Q. Sutanto, Harlan Coben, Emily Henry, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Kalynn Bayron, and many more plus some dazzling debuts.

You’ll be sure to find quite a few exciting new reads within this list and be sure to check out our other January to June 2023 lists, including 2023 Romance, 2023 Young Adult, 2023 Middle Grade, and 2023 Queer Books!

Looking for our July to December picks? Check them out here!

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below what books you are looking forward to!

JANUARY

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Kate Alice Marshall’s What Lies in the Woods is a thrilling novel about friendship, secrets, betrayal, and lies – and having the courage to face the past.

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
This sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com filled with Chinese astrology will undoubtedly prove to be a perfect match with readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Helena Hunting.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, comes a laugh-out-loud story about a quirky content creator and a clean-cut athlete testing their abilities to survive the great outdoors—and each other.

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. The Ivy League is going straight to hell in the sequel to the smash New York Times bestseller Ninth House from #1 bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.

Begin Again by Emma Lord
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Filled with a friend group that feels like family, an empowering journey of finding your own way, and a Just Kiss Already! romance, Emma Lord’s Begin Again is an unforgettable YA novel of love and starting again.

Exes and O’s by Amy Lea
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A romance novel–obsessed social media influencer revisits her exes on her hunt for true love in this romantic comedy from the author of Set On You.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Return to the opulent world of Elfhame, filled with intrigue, betrayal, and dangerous desires, with this first book of a captivating new duology from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black. 

Behind the Scenes by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Fans of Abby Jimenez and Meryl Wilsner will fall in love with this hilarious and refreshingly authentic novel about second chances, pugs, and finding the perfect muse . . .

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From the macabre mind of a Bram Stoker Award-nominated author, this heart-pounding novel of horror and psychological suspense takes a ghost hunting reality TV crew into a world they could never have imagined.

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
The Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying in Nick Brooks’s Promise Boys, a trailblazing, blockbuster YA mystery about three teen boys of color who must investigate their principal’s murder to clear their own names―for fans of Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Karen McManus.

Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
About a Boy meets What We Do In The Shadows in the next fun genre-mashup from Mike Chen, featuring a punk-rock vampire learning to connect to the world again when her surly teenaged grand-nephew needs her, and her music, to get him through a tough time.

FEBRUARY

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Intricate and epic, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the world of A Priory of the Orange Tree, showing us a course of events that shaped it for generations to come.

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From #1 New York Times bestselling author and TikTok favorite Tessa Bailey comes a steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn…

The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Nationally bestselling author of Daughters of Sparta Claire Heywood returns with an imaginative and female-centered reinterpretation of the myth of the great hero Perseus, told through the voices of three women who are sidelined in the traditional version—his mother, Danae; his trophy, Medusa; and his wife, Andromeda—but whose viewpoints reveal a man who is not, in fact, a hero at all.

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
The House Guest is another diabolical cat-and-mouse thriller from USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan―but which character is the cat, and which character is the mouse?

The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In the early 1900s, a young woman is caught between two worlds in H. G. Parry’s spellbinding tale of miracles, magic, and the adventure of a lifetime.

Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In a dazzling new fantasy world full of whispered secrets and political intrigue, the magic of women is outlawed but four girls with unusual powers have the chance to change it all.

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
The Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie in this evocative and mind-bending psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart.

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In the riveting new novel from the author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist The Great Believers, a woman must reckon with her past when new details surface about a tragedy at her elite New England boarding school.

Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two restaurant critics learn their opposing tastes might make for a five-star relationship in the next foodie romantic comedy from the author of Sadie on a Plate.

Seven Faceless Saints by M. K. Lobb
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Discover what’s lurking in the shadows in this dark fantasy debut with a murder-mystery twist, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kerri Maniscalco.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales—the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi.

Not Your Ex’s Hexes by April Asher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In April Asher’s next Supernatural Singles novel, Not Your Ex’s Hexes, a one-night-stand between a willful witch and a broody half-demon conjures an adventure that wouldn’t be complete without several magical mishaps.

MARCH

The Foxglove King by Hannah F. Whitten
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In this lush, romantic epic fantasy series from a New York Times bestselling author, a young woman’s secret power to raise the dead plunges her into the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King’s royal court.

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
For fans of Ikegna and A Tale Dark and Grimm comes a story of a brave heroine, a beguiling villain, fantastical worlds, magical adventures, and a journey that will remind you that hope, friendship, and love endures all.

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two people make a wager on who can find love first, not realizing what they should be betting on is each other, in this new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Wrong Number.

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
For fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.

Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From New York Times bestselling author Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton comes the first book in a ferocious YA fantasy duology featuring ancient magic, warring factions, and a romance between the two people in the world with the most cause to hate one another.

Jane & Edward: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre by Melodie Edwards
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
This powerful reimagining of Jane Eyre, set in a modern-day law firm, is full of romance and hope as it follows the echoing heartbeats of the classic story.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A “wildly surprising, entertaining” (Jodi Picoult) novel featuring a college dropout and an eighty-four-year-old woman on the run from the law, full of tremendous heart, wit, and wisdom from the USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A teen boy tries to discover the reason behind his best friend’s disappearance―and the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic stranger―in misty Victorian London, in Kalynn Bayron’s My Dear Henry, a gothic YA remix of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, sixth in the Remixed Classics series.

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
An innocent father serving life for the murder of his own son receives evidence that his child may still be alive, and must break out of prison to find out the truth in #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben’s latest breathtaking thriller.

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

APRIL

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Terry J. Benton-Walker’s contemporary fantasy debut, Blood Debts, is “an extravaganza from start to finish” (Chloe Gong) with powerful magical families, intergenerational curses, and deadly drama in New Orleans.

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.

Happy Place by Emily Henry
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls and “master of suspense, Megan Miranda”, a thrilling mystery about a group of former classmates who reunite to mark the tenth anniversary of a tragic accident—only to have one of the survivors disappear, casting fear and suspicion on the original tragedy.

Silver In The Bone by Alexandra Bracken
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
#1 New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken cements her status as one of the top fantasy authors writing today in this stunning series opener inspired by Arthurian legend and fueled by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two former female spies, bound together by their past, risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi doctor in the aftermath of World War II—an extraordinary novel inspired by true events from the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls.

Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season.

The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In Lambda Award finalist Chana Porter’s highly anticipated new novel, an aspiring chef, a cyberthief, and a kitchen maid each break free of a society that wants to constrain them.

Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat by Sonya Lalli
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
An impulsive decision to join an Alaskan cruise getaway brings the chance for an onboard romance in this new enemies-to-lovers romance from the author of A Holly Jolly Diwali.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is Astounding Award Winner and Crawford Award Finalist Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match from “a true talent” (Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamy pop star flips the script on all her assumptions—a hilarious, observant, and deeply tender novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Eligible, Rodham, and Prep.

MAY

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Inspired by a classic of martial arts literature, S. L. Huang’s The Water Outlaws are bandits of devastating ruthlessness, unseemly femininity, dangerous philosophies, and ungovernable gender who are ready to make history―or tear it apart.

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A deliciously entertaining novel about the stars of a popular teen show from the early 2000s—and the reunion special, thirteen years after their scandalous flameout, that will either be their last chance at redemption, or destroy them all for good.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia—where the truth isn’t what it seems.

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A small-town sweetheart and an emotionally unavailable bad boy try to find some common ground in this chemistry-filled romance from the author of The Cheat Sheet and When in Rome.

The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Magic, romance, and slumbering gods clash in the start of a riveting fantasy series that spans gangsters’ dens, forgotten temples, and the high seas from the New York Times bestselling author of the Aurora Cycle and the Illuminae Files.

Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Utterly original and wildly entertaining, with a protagonist whose life is a total mess, Killing Me is the laugh-out-loud funny thriller that we never knew we needed.

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises—especially to ourselves—by the bestselling and celebrated author of The Guncle.

Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Of Light and Shadow is a novel about magic, mayhem, love, and betrayal―the story of a bandit and a prince who change each other in unexpected ways.

The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Joining a post #MeToo discourse, The Girls of Summer grapples with themes of power, sex, and consent, as it explores the complicated nature of memory and trauma––and what it takes to reframe, and reclaim, your own story.

Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliott McLemore
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two enemy kingdoms are forced to work together to break a curse in this lush YA fantasy, featuring a transgender prince and a bigender dama/assassin in the lead roles.

Dragonfall by Laura Lam
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Long-banished dragons, revered as gods, return to the mortal realm in the first in this magical new epic fantasy trilogy from a bestselling author

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script—from the New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners.

JUNE

Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In this romantic, edge-of-your-seat YA fantasy/mystery, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with a powerful noble to gain entry into an illustrious―and deadly―society that holds clues to her mother’s disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Bestselling author Riley Sager returns with a Gothic chiller about a young caregiver assigned to work for a woman accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre decades earlier.

Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Set in the glamorous, competitive world of showjumping, a novel about the girls who ride, their cutthroat mothers, and a suspicious death at a horse show…from the author of Good Rich People

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with the hilarious follow-up to Secretly Yours, in which a down-on-her-luck Napa heiress suggests a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience to a man she can’t stand… only to discover there’s a fine line between love and hate.

Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Mexican Gothic, a novel set in 18th-century Venice at a prestigious music school, about two girls drawn together by a dangerous wager

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A ghostwriter and a struggling actor help each other on the page and in the bedroom in this steamy romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk.

What Remains by Wendy Walker
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Detective Elise Sutton is drawn to cold cases. Each crime is a puzzle to solve, pulled from the past. Steeped in guilt, and on a leave of absence from work, she’s numb, even to her husband and daughters, until she connects with Wade Austin, the tall man whose life she saved. But Elise soon realizes that he isn’t who he says he is. 

Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two sisters travel to an isolated Arizona town to investigate its connection to their mother’s death, but uncover more than they bargained for in this supernatural thriller from the author of The Dead and the Dark.

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
The bestselling author of The Party returns with a deliciously twisted story of friendship, retribution, and betrayal about a homeless woman fleeing a dangerous past—and the wealthy society wife she saves from drowning, who pulls her into a dark web of secrets and lies.

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night? This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.

The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
If you knew how dark tomorrow would be, what would you do with today? The First Bright Thing is a spellbinding debut for fans of The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue.

Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, a descendant of the Greek Fates must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city.

What 2023 book releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Most Anticipated 2023 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you’re after a magical world, Raymond E. Feist will transport you in King of Ashes and Sarah J Maas continues the adventures in Prythian with A Court of Frost and Starlight. Perhaps some science fiction is more your speed, if so, then check out  84K by Claire North or Side Life by Steve Toutonghi.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below what new releases you will be reading!

Furyborn by Claire Legrand
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Rielle Dardenne exposes her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic, which only a pair of prophesied queens should posses: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic or be killed. A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When Eliana’s mother and other women begin disappearing, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission. Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia with connections between them that will determine the fate of their world.

King of Ashes by Raymond E. Feist
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

The world of Garn once boasted five great kingdoms, until the King of Ithrace was defeated and every member of his family executed by another king with ambitions to rule the world. The remaining kingdoms remain on the brink of war, but rumour has it that the newborn son of the last king of Ithrace survived, taken by a secret society whose members are trained to infiltrate and spy upon the rich and powerful throughout Garn. On the island of Coaltachin, the secret domain of the Quelli Nacosti, three friends are being schooled in the deadly arts of espionage and assassination: Donte, son of one of the most powerful masters of the order; Hava, a serious girl with fighting abilities that can set any opponent on their back; and Hatu, a strange, conflicted lad in whom fury and calm war constantly, whose hair is a bright and fiery shade of red.

The Plastic Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Alvie Brechenmacher has arrived in London to begin her training in Polymaking—a new form of magic to bespell plastic. Even though she is only an apprentice, Alvie is an inventor at heart, and she is determined to make as many discoveries in the new discipline. Studying under world-renowned magician Marion Praff, Alvie’s enthusiasm reinvigorates her mentor’s work, and together they create a device that could forever change Polymaking—and the world. But when a rival learns of their plans, he conspires to steal their invention and take the credit for it himself.

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

The Winter Solstice. In a week. I was still new enough to being High Lady that I had no idea what my formal role was to be. If we’d have a High Priestess do some odious ceremony, as lanthe had done the year before. A year. Gods, nearly a year since Rhys had called in his bargain, desperate to get me away from the poison of the Spring Court to save me from my despair. Had he been only a minute later, the Mother knew what would have happened. Where I’d now be. Snow swirled and eddied in the garden, catching in the brown fibers of the burlap covering the shrubs My mate who had worked so hard and so selflessly, all without hope that I would ever be with him We had both fought for that love, bled for it. Rhys had died for it.

Bandwidth by Eliot Peper
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

A rising star at a preeminent political lobbying firm, Dag Calhoun represents the world’s most powerful technology and energy executives until a close brush with death makes him a target. Like everyone else, Dag relies on his digital feed for everything—a feed that is as personal as it is pervasive, and may not be as private as it seems. As he struggles to make sense of the dark forces closing in on him, he discovers that activists are hijacking the feed to manipulate markets and governments.

Whisper by Lynette Noni
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

For two years, six months, fourteen days, eleven hours and sixteen minutes, Subject Six-Eight-Four or ‘Jane Doe’ has been locked away and experimented on, without uttering a single word. As Jane’s resolve begins to crack under the influence of her new and unexpectedly kind evaluator, she uncovers the truth about Lengard’s mysterious ‘program’, discovering that her own secret is at the heart of a sinister plot … and one wrong move, one wrong word, could change the world.

84K by Claire North
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

What if your life were defined by a number? What if any crime could be committed without punishment, so long as you could afford to pay the fee assigned to that crime? Theo works in the Criminal Audit Office. He assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full. But when Theo’s ex-lover Dani is killed, it’s different. This is one death he can’t let become merely an entry on a balance sheet. Because when the richest in the world are getting away with murder, sometimes the numbers just don’t add up.

What Should Be Wild by Julia Fine
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Cursed. Maisie Cothay has never known the feel of human flesh: born with the power to kill or resurrect at her slightest touch. Living on the edge of a mysterious forest, Maisie’s father warns her to stay away as men disappear and emerge with addled minds and strange stories. He doesn’t tell her that for over a millennium her female ancestors have also vanished, never to emerge—for she is descended from a long line of cursed women. But one day Maisie’s father disappears, so she must venture beyond where she encounters a strange world filled with wonder and deception where she can finally reckon with her power and come to understand the wildest parts of herself.

Side Life by Steve Toutonghi
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Vin, a down-on-his-luck young tech entrepreneur forced out of the software company he started, takes a job house-sitting an ultra-modern Seattle mansion whose owner has gone missing. There he discovers a secret basement lab with an array of computers and three large, smooth caskets. Inside one he finds a woman in a state of suspended animation. When Vin decides to climb into one of the caskets to see what happens, his reality begins to unravel, and he finds himself on a terrifying journey that asks fundamental questions about reality, free will, and the meaning of a human life.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shocked everyone that a peasant girl got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan. But now she’s targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school. A Third Poppy War is just a spark away and Rin’s powers may be the only way to save her people.

MEM by Bethany C. Morrow
Goodreads | Amazon

Set in the glittering art deco world of a century ago, MEM makes one slight alteration to history: a scientist in Montreal discovers a method allowing people to have their memories extracted from their minds, whole and complete. The Mems exist as mirror-images of their source ― zombie-like creatures destined to experience that singular memory over and over, until they expire in the cavernous Vault where they are kept. And then there is Dolores Extract #1, the first Mem capable of creating her own memories. An ageless beauty shrouded in mystery, she is allowed to live on her own, and create her own existence, until one day she is summoned back to the Vault.

Witchsign by Den Patrick
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

It has been seventy-five years since the dragons’ rule of fire and arcane magic over Vinkerveld was ended, and the Empire was born. Since, the tyrannical Synod has worked hard to banish all manifestations of the arcane across the lands. However, children are still born bearing the taint of the arcane, known to all as witchsign, and they are being hunted. Steiner believes his sister Kjellrunn bears witchsign until he’s mistakenly taken. Except it is not death which awaits Steiner, but an Academy where the children with witchsign learn to master their powers and he’s determined to protect his sister from this fate.

Check out more of this month’s book releases on our Goodreads list!

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