If you’re ready to escape 2024 for a little while, then look no further than these upcoming January to June 2024 fantasy and science fiction book releases! With releases from the likes of Sarah J. Maas, Mike Chen, ST. Gibson, Micaiah Johnson, Hannah Kaner, Taran Matharu, P. Djèlí Clark, Hannah Whitten, Veronica Roth, and many more, along with some very exciting debut novels!

Read on to discover some wonderful new reads within this list and be sure to check out our other 2024 round-ups too, including our Most Anticipated, our Swoonworthy Romance, and Anticipated YA lists!

JANUARY 2024 BOOK RELEASES

Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty

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An epic reimagining of the Mahabharata and a blend of House of the Dragon meets Succession.

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

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In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt’s world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler

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Told through the eyes of a murdered scientist whose consciousness has been implanted in a resurrected wooly mammoth and this story speaks to the folly of forcing nature down an unnatural path.

Mislaid In Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

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Portals and danger, and a girl who can find both in the next book in the Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Wayward Children series from Seanan McGuire.

Unbound by Christy Healy

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For fans of Hannah Whitten and Rebecca Ross, Unbound is a gender-bent reimagining of the classic tale of a monstrous beast and the beauty determined to tame it, set against the lush backdrop of Irish mythology and folklore.

The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers

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Slip into a lush world of magic, stardust, and monsters in this spellbinding contemporary fantasy from debut author Georgia Summers.

The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson

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A love letter to Black readers of science-fantasy, The Principle of Moments is a symphonic, centuries-spanning adventure – unmissable for fans of the spacefaring found family of Becky Chambers, the alternate London of V. E. Schwab, and the virtuosic climate-craft of N. K. Jemisin.

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

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Two elven sisters become imprisoned in the intoxicating world of the fae, where danger and love lie in wait. Faebound is the first book in an enchanting new trilogy from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Final Strife.

A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen

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It’s an average Thursday for Carter Cho… until the particle accelerator explodes and sends him back in time. Carter continuously relives the week never making it to Friday. Lonely and in need of help, he manages to pull Mariana into the time loop, and together they must find a way to finally reach the end of the week.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

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When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.

The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

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The Atlas Complex marks the much-anticipated, heart-shattering conclusion in Olivie Blake’s trilogy that began with the New York Times bestselling phenomenon, The Atlas Six.

Exordia by Seth Dickinson

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Michael Crichton meets Marvel’s Venom in award-winning author Seth Dickinson’s science fiction debut

FEBRUARY 2024 BOOK RELEASES

Redsight by Meredith Mooring

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An imaginative new space opera for fans of Gideon the Ninth filled with sapphic romance, space pirates, a blind witch and powerful priestesses.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

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A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan

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Revolution is brewing in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, between humans and the fathomfolk who live in its waters. This gloriously imaginative debut fantasy, inspired by East Asian mythology and ocean folk tales, is a novel of magic, rebellion and change.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

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A Holmes and Watson–style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from the Edgar-winning, multiple Hugo-nominated Robert Jackson Bennett.

The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond

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A magically gifted con artist must gather her estranged mother’s old crew for a once-in-a-lifetime heist, from the New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

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A debut novel full of magic, adventure, and romance, The Book of Doors opens up a thrilling world of contemporary fantasy for readers of The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, The Night Circus, and any modern story that mixes the wonder of the unknown with just a tinge of darkness.

Medea by Eilish Quin

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Discover the full story of the sorceress Medea, one of the most reviled and maligned women of Greek antiquity, in this propulsive and evocative debut in the tradition of Circe, Elektra, and Stone Blind.

Exit Black by Joe Pitkin

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Die Hard meets The Martian–with a dash of Knives Out–in this action-packed sci-fi thriller.

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

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Sumptuous and addictive, An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood. 

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

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Epic in scope and full of singular, unforgettable characters, The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.

The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan

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The third novel in Richard Swan’s acclaimed epic fantasy trilogy triumphantly concludes the tale of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor’s Justice – a detective, judge and executioner all in one. 

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

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For fans of David Mitchell, Ruth Ozeki, and Kazuo Ishiguro, an elegant and exhilarating literary speculative novel about an isolated town neighbored by its own past and future, and a young girl who spots two elderly visitors from across the border: the grieving parents of the boy she loves.

MARCH 2024 BOOK RELEASES

Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison

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Luck is its own kind of magic, in this first book in an electrifying new contemporary fantasy series from the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows novels.

A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair

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The gods are at war in the highly-anticipated final installment of the Hades and Persephone story, from bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair

Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson

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Faced with a coming apocalypse, a woman must reckon with her past to solve a series of sudden and inexplicable deaths in a searing sci-fi thriller from the Compton Crook Award–winning author of The Space Between Worlds.

Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner

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Return to the world of Godkiller in this thrilling sequel to the #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut, where Kissen and her companions must navigate lands of gods and demons to unravel a dark truth at the heart of their world.

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

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Set in a world of perilous magic and moonlit forests, this seductive romantic fantasy tells the story of a defiant changeling, her cursed sister, and the dangerous fae lord she must defeat to save her family.

The Mars House by Natasha Pulley

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A compulsively readable queer sci-fi novel about a marriage of convenience between a Mars politician and an Earth refugee.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

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An unpredictable roller coaster of a debut novel, The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a genre-bending romantasy that challenges everything we think we know about true love.

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

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The Woods All Black is equal parts historical horror, trans romance, and blood-soaked revenge, all set in 1920s Appalachia,

Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

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This cozy debut science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars.

Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang

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From the Hugo Award­–winning author of Folding Beijing comes a gripping science fiction thriller in which three unlikely allies attempt a desperate mission of first contact with a mysterious alien race before more militaristic minds can take matters into their own hands.

Baby X by Kira Peikoff

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When any biological matter can be used to create life, stolen celebrity DNA sells to the highest bidder–or the craziest stalker–in this propulsive thriller. With a vivid imagining of the future, Gattaca meets Black Mirror in Kira Peikoff’s Baby X.

Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas

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L. M. Sagas’s debut, Cascade Failure, is a high-octane, sci-fi adventure blending J. S. Dewes’s Divide series with Firefly. It features a fierce, messy, chaotic space family, vibrant worlds, and an exploration of the many ways to be―and not to be―human.

APRIL 2024 BOOK RELEASES

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu

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Discover a rich world of magic, warriors, and dragons, in which a fearless orphan and an ambitious handmaiden flee from the empire that would imprison them, with a dream to return to their homelands and a determination that’s unbreakable…

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

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Once a young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife, she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she loves—safe in this stunning queer reimagining of the classic folktale “The Selkie Wife.”

A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu

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A View From The Stars features a range of short works from the past three decades of New York Times bestselling author Cixin Liu’s prolific career, putting his nonfiction essays and short stories side-by-side for the first time.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

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Nebula and Alex Award winner P. Djèlí Clark introduces a brand-new world and a fantastical city full of gods and assassins.

Wicked Problems by Max Gladstone

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Gods and lawyers battle for the soul of the world in the action-packed second volume of Max Gladstone’s Craft Wars, an epic fantasy like no other.

Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

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Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first book in a new swashbuckling fantasy series by the bestselling author of The Greatcoats.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

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Discover this creepy, charming monster-slaying fantasy romance, which is Beauty and the Beast meets The Shape of Water by the Nebula-award winning author of Open House on Haunted Hill.

The Monstrous Misses Mai by Van Hoang

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A determined young woman in 1950s Los Angeles walks a darker city than she ever imagined in a spellbinding novel about the power to make dreams come true―whatever the sacrifice.

The Redemption of Morgan Bright by Chris Panatier

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From the subversive voice behind The Phlebotomist comes a story that combines the uncanny atmosphere of Don’t Worry Darling with the narrative twists of The Last House on Needless Street.

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

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A crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet in the latest space horror novel from S.A. Barnes, acclaimed author of Dead Silence.

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar

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Celebrated author Sofia Samatar presents a mystical, revolutionary space adventure for the exhausted dreamer in this brilliant science fiction novella tackling the carceral state and violence embedded in the ivory tower while embodying the legacy of Ursula K. Le Guin.

The Hemlock Queen by Hannah F. Whitten

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In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten’s lush romantic epic fantasy series, the glittering and dangerous world of the Sainted King’s royal court is upended when Prince Bastian seizes control and a mysterious dark force begins to take over.

MAY 2024 BOOK RELEASES

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

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The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.

The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond

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Maddileh’s tale contains a rich history of dragons, ill-fated knights, scheming squires, and sapphic love, with deceptions and double-crosses that will keep you guessing right up to its dramatic conclusion. Ultimately, The Fireborne Blade is about the roles we refuse to accept, and of the place we make for ourselves in the world.

Road to Ruin by Hana Lee

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An electrifying, gritty fantasy from debut author Hana Lee that takes a royal messenger on a high-speed chase across a climate-ravaged wasteland, featuring motorcycles, monsters, and magic.

The Deer and the Dragon by Piper C.J.

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Fantasy author Marlow has been haunted by what she believes is a figure of her imagination: a mysterious and alluring man she calls Caliban. But when Caliban disappears, her quest to find him throws her into the very world of gods, demons, and monsters her books have been based on for years.

Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi

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A vibrant, action-packed and empowering South Asian fantasy epic. An underdog story like no other – Kavithri will remind you of fantasy heroes like Arya Stark, Fang Runin or Gideon the Ninth.

Evocation by S.T. Gibson

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Evocation kicks off the Summoner’s Circle series, and follows David, a psychic medium and hotshot lawyer, who must team up with his sorcerer ex-boyfriend and the ex’s witch wife to break a family curse. Forced proximity, magic lessons, and polyamory ensure, all against the moody backdrop of Boston. 

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

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Step into a city where monsters feast on human emotions, knights split their souls to make their weapons, and witches always take more than they give.

Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel

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A powerful reimagining of the story of Ganga, goddess of the river, and her doomed mortal son, from Vaishnavi Patel, author of the instant New York Times bestseller Kaikeyi.

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler

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Groundhog Day meets Guardians of the Galaxy in Django Wexler’s laugh-out-loud fantasy tale about a young woman who, tired of defending humanity from the Dark Lord, decides to become the Dark Lord herself.

Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

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The brutally engineered class divisions of Snowpiercer meets Rivers Solomon’s The Deep in this high-octane post-climate disaster novella written by Nommo Award-winning author Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Escape Velocity by Victor Manibo

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A twisty new near-future genre-bending thriller: Knives Out in space with a Parasite twist. A decades-old murder looms over the glamorous clientele of a high-end space hotel . . . while an unforeseen threat percolates in the service corridors. The guests are about to experience the hospitality they deserve.

A House Like an Accordion by Audrey Burges

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A woman searches for her missing father in order to reconcile the many strange and fantastical secrets of her past before she loses herself completely in this deeply profound and magical novel by Audrey Burges.

JUNE 2024 BOOK RELEASES

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

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The interwoven destinies of the people of Meridian will finally be determined in this stunning conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy.

Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova

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The Witcher meets Naomi Novik in this fast-paced fantasy rooted in Slavic folklore, from an assured new voice in genre fiction.

The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton

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In her breathtaking debut—part space odyssey, part sapphic rom-com—Emily Hamilton weaves a suspenseful, charming, and irresistibly joyous tale of fierce friendship, improbable love, and wonder as vast as the universe itself.

Saints of Storm and Sorrow by Gabriella Buba

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In this fiercely imaginative Filipino-inspired fantasy debut, a bisexual nun hiding a goddess-given gift is unwillingly transformed into a lightning rod for her people’s struggle against colonization.

Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow

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Hearts will race and anti-grav boots will fly in this sapphic sci-fi rom-com, perfect for fans of Winter’s Orbit and The Red Scholar’s Wake, Lady Eve’s Last Con.

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

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From the acclaimed author of The Deep Sky comes a thrilling anti-colonial space heist to save an alien civilization.

Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin

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Genres collide in this dark and atmospheric reimagining of 1930s Shanghai for fans of Nghi Vo and S. A. Chakraborty.

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Murderbot meets Redshirts in a delightfully humorous tale of robotic murder from the Hugo-nominated author of Elder Race and Children of Time.

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland

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From the author of A Taste of Gold and Iron – Our Flag Means Death meets Six of Crows as a merry band of misfits attempts to get away with treason on the high seas.

Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera

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Rakesfall is a groundbreaking, standalone science fiction epic about two souls bound together from here until the ends of time, from the author of The Saint of Bright Doors

The Knife and the Serpent by Tim Pratt

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From Hugo Award winning author Tim Pratt comes a new, high-concept space opera, exploring technology, family and the price we pay to follow our destiny, perfect for fans of Peter F. Hamilton and Adrian Tchaikovsky.

The Afterlife of Mal Caldera by Nadi Reed Perez

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By turns irreverently funny and deeply moving, this debut contemporary fantasy is perfect for fans of They Both Die at the End and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

What SFF books are you looking forward to releasing in 2024? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Devour These Anticipated 2024 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The world of Malevolent Seven is one where mercenary mages called “Wonderists” sell their spells to the highest bidder. But where do all those strange and awe-inspiring spells come from? Every wonderist is attuned to a specific plane of reality adjacent to the mortal realm where the laws of nature differ from our own. By creating a momentary breach into that other plane of reality, those alternate laws leak through, enabling the wonderist to cast one of the spells unique to the realm to which they’re attuned.

The Tempestoral plane is filled with endless, raging mystical storms composed of every kind of destructive energy imaginable. Tempestoral mages, often called “Thunderers”, have the ability to channel various Tempestoral blasts into our realm without harming themselves. Some scholars – along with anyone who has ever met a Thunderer in person – suspect that the violent nature of Tempestoral magic induces a tendency in those attuned to it to go berserk on a regular basis.

Auroral magic comes in the form of blessings granted by the Lords Celestine themselves, heavenly beings who each embody a specific virtue such as justice, devotion or serenity. These blessings operate continuously, thus granting the receiver a channel to that particular form of power. This makes Auroral magic exceptionally potent and desirable. Alas, such blessings can be taken away for even the slightest perceived offence against the Lords Celestine.

Coloured light and the spectacular images that can be conjured with it is a source of wonder and awe . . . to children at birthday parties. Luminists are widely reviled by other wonderists as their usefulness on a job is generally limited to “No need to light that torch my friend! Behold, here are some annoying, rainbow-coloured illusions of unicorns to light our way!”

The laws of the Totemic realm bind animal forms to sets of archetypal characteristics which, when summoned by a totemist, behave like a toolkit of magical spells aligned with the nature of a particular animal. Thus a felinist can display cat-like grace and resilience, or a chiropteranists can navigate through sound while also communicating through bats. Every Totemist is attuned to a single animal form, and they all thing their animal is the most noble and impressive.

Infernal spells are imparted to the wonderist from various Lords Devilish through the negotiations of a conniving and often manipulative Demonic (commonly referred to as an “agent”). The transmission of each Infernal spell produces a tingling ink-black sigil on the flesh of the recipient. When awakened through the specified gestures and paired with the bearer’s emotional impulse, these spells can only be cast a once before the markings fade to a kind of unsightly charring of the skin. Infernal magic focuses most potently on the alteration of consciousness, thus enabling the caster to manipulate the minds and souls of others.

Chance is merely an illusion in our own world, for in reality all events are subject to the laws of cause and effect. Those attuned to the Fortunal plane, however, can summon breaches that momentarily sever the natural connection between cause and effect. The breaches alter outcomes of events while still appearing to follow physical laws.

The Sonoral Realm’s mystical gifts go beyond the mere amplification of sound or even creating new ones out of thin air. An Echoist can lend tremendous potency to their words or those of others, transforming mere verbal statements into almost irresistible commandments. Even the most awkward of speeches can become spiritual testaments of such inspirational force as to rouse armies.

The physical laws of the Floranistic plane imbue all plant matter with psychokinetic properties. Thus, a Floranist using their attunement to create breaches between that realm and our own can induce trees and other forms of plant life to obey their will and take any shape the wonderist desires.

The ability to open a door in one place that leads to one halfway across the world is surely one of the most desirable sources of magic for any wonderist . . . or thief. Portalist mages have a bad habit of abandoning their comrades when the tide of battle turns against them.

Those attuned to the Abyssal plane are by far the deadliest of wonderists. Their entire existence is a continuous breach between our realm and that of endless space. Covered by a thin layer of abyssal matter, a Cosmist’s entire body becomes a portal into a void from which no one ever returns. Fortunately, the constant, unyielding awareness of the vastness of eternity and the insignificance of any individual tends to cause Cosmists to off themselves before they can get up the will to actually destroy the world.

Blood magic is the only form of wonderism entirely native to our world. It is the fundamental wildness of nature itself: the same force that first caused groups of molecules to become the fluid of life. Drawn to the flow of blood around them, Sanguinal Mages are especially dangerous because the hunger to toy with the life of other beings overwhelms them.

Little is known of the Pandoral realm save that it’s physical dimensions are far smaller than our own and that the few beings who live there are possessed of the ability to warp and reshape matter and even bodies within our own, making those attuned to that form of magic incredibly dangerous. Rumour has it that the Pandoral realm is collapsing in on itself, which is a relief to the rest of the cosmos, though not, perhaps, to any wonderist foolish enough to become attuned to their magic.

Chapter 1: Real Mages Don’t Wear Funny Hats

Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes if you need to. There he is, see? Old, skinny guy with a long scraggly beard he probably trips over on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. No doubt he’s wearing some sort of iridescent silk robes that couldn’t protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat’s a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would reveal to every other mage which sources of magic this moron relies on for his powers? Wouldn’t want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace or pretty much any household object heavier than a soup ladle.

Yep. Behold the mighty wizard: a stoop-­backed feeb who couldn’t run up a long flight of stairs without giving himself a heart attack.

Now, open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like.

‘Fall, you pasty-­faced little fuckers!’ Corrigan roared as our contingent of wonderists assaulted the high citadel walls our employer had sent us to bring down ahead of his main forces. ‘Fall so that I can rip your hearts out with my bare hands and feed you to my favourite devil as an appetiser before he feasts on your miserable souls!’

Yeah, Corrigan was a real charmer all right.

Big man, shoulders as broad as any soldier’s. I stood maybe half an inch taller, but in every other dimension he was my superior. The muscles on Corrigan’s forearms strained against the bejewelled gold and silver bands he always negotiated into his contracts. Tempestoral mages of his calibre have no particular use for precious metals or gemstones, but when it comes to selling his services, Corrigan likes to – in his words – ‘Remind those rich arseholes who needs who.’

‘Watch this one, Cade!’ he shouted to me over the tumult of battle all around us. Our employer’s foot soldiers and mounted cavalry were fighting and dying to keep the enemy troops busy while we wonderists did the real damage. Corrigan’s eyes glowed the same unnerving indigo as the sparks that danced along the tightly braided curls of his hair and beard. Tendrils of black Tempestoral lightning erupted from his callused and charred palms to sizzle the air on their way to tear at stone and mortar like jagged snakes feeding on a colony of mice. He grinned at me, his white teeth in stark contrast to the ebony of his skin, then laughed as each of his fists closed around one of his lightning bolts. He began wielding them like whips, grabbing hold of the stalwart defenders atop the walls and sweeping them up into the sky before shaking them until their spines snapped. Several other poor bastards leaped to their deaths rather than waiting for Corrigan to take an interest in them.

‘We don’t get paid extra for making them shit their pants, you know,’ I reminded him, my fingers tracing misfortune sigils in the air so that the volleys of arrows the enemy fired at us missed their targets. ‘Our job is to convince them to surrender, not commit suicide.’

‘Our job?’ The indigo braids of Corrigan’s beard rustled with the same enthusiasm his lightning snakes showed as they destroyed in minutes the gleaming, high-­towered citadel that had taken hardworking masons decades to build. ‘Our job, Cade, is to make what we in the trade call an impression.’

I suppose I couldn’t argue with that. Our employer was an Ascendant Prince – self-­declared, of course – who’d been having some difficulty convincing the local ruling archons of his divinely sanctioned rule. Sending a coven of mercenary wonderists to wage mayhem and murder (I never lied to myself by calling it ‘war’) wasn’t likely to convince anyone of Ascendant Lucien’s holiness, but as his Magnificence had explained it to me, ‘Kill enough of the brave ones and the rest will pray to anyone I tell them to.’

He might be a complete fucking moron, but Lucien was right about that much, at least.

The crossbowmen atop the walls stopped firing their bolts at us, no doubt tired of watching the wooden shafts splinter against the rocks as the ill-­luck spells I’d kept around our division meant each and every one of them missed their mark. Meanwhile, Corrigan and a couple of the others got on with blasting their brethren to pieces with impunity.

Corrigan lightened up on his thunderous assault and motioned for a nearby echoist to spin a little sonoral magic to amplify his voice as he called out to the citadel’s terrified defenders, ‘There now, my little ducklings, no need to jump. Just open up the gates for Uncle Corrigan and we can all have a nice cup of tea before supper.’ He glanced back at me. ‘There. Happy?’

‘You really are a prick, you know that?’ I took advantage of the momentary distraction among the archers to give my fingers a shake before renewing the shield over our squad of eleven wonderists.

Corrigan shrugged. ‘What do you expect? I conjure rampant fucking devastation from the Tempestoral plane for a living so that one group of arseholes can conquer another group of arseholes – and then a couple of years later, that second group of arseholes hires me to kill off the first lot. That can’t be good for the soul.’

Truer words had never been spoken.

‘Enemy wonderists!’ one of our comrades shouted.

Up on those high walls, the tell-­tale shimmer of Auroral magic (that being the ‘nice people’ kind) appeared: Archon Belleda had finally sent out her own contingent of wonderists to kick our arses.

When Corrigan got a look at the silk-­robed, grey-­bearded scarecrows standing up there, he was pissing himself laughing so hard his tendril spell almost collapsed.

‘Look,’ he shouted to the rest of us, ‘real live Auroral mages have come to cast our souls to the pits! Kneel before these noble miracle-­workers and weep for mercy, for surely the judgement of the Lords Celestine is at hand!’

The rest of us didn’t laugh. We focused on our jobs, which now included sending those dignified old men and women to their graves. It wasn’t Archon Belleda’s fault her defenders couldn’t beat us. They were locals, patriots fighting for a noble cause, while we were mercenaries, motivated by greed and lousy upbringings, loyal only to the fees our employer had promised us.

The poor bastards never had a chance.

One of the enemy wonderists, a silver-­haired woman already dripping with nervous sweat, took the lead. Blood seeped from her eyes as she cast a sorcerous incantation we in the business call a ‘heartchain’, because it pierces right through defensive spells to burst the enemy’s blood vessels. It’s not the sort of thing any of us would use because it’s a conjoined sympathy spell, which means a heartchain also kills the person casting it. I marvelled at the old codger’s redoubtable courage and sacrifice as the thread-­like silver tether stretched across the two hundred yards between them to bind her heart to Corrigan’s.

The big brute’s eyes went wide as his thick fingers clawed at his own chest. He turned to me, but no sound came from his lips as he mouthed my name.

Corrigan Blight was a monster, no doubt about it. He killed people for money, and he did it without ever questioning whether such acts could be justified. Any time I’d asked whether perhaps there was a better way to earn a living, he’d slap me across the head and proudly declare, ‘Didn’t make the rules, don’t plan to break them.’ If you stuck him next to the old lady on the wall and asked a hundred people which one of them deserved to live, not one of them would say Corrigan.

Well, except me.

Corrigan was my friend, which was a hard thing to admit to myself and an even harder thing to find in this profession. He’d saved my life more times than I’d saved his, and I know that doesn’t justify the choice I made in that moment, but maybe it explains why, without giving it a second’s thought, I conjured a poetic injustice.

Beneath my leather cuirass, a set of three intertwining sigils etched into my torso began to smoulder, then the sigils appeared in the air before me as floating scrawls of ebony ink, curves and edges glimmering. I could feel the seconds counting down towards Corrigan’s heart bursting in his chest.

He clutched at my shoulder in panic, or maybe searching for a final moment of human connection. I shrugged him off; I needed to concentrate.

I placed my right hand above the first sigil, which looked like a distorted stick figure crowned in seven rays; it represented the enemy spellcaster. When I moved my hand upwards, the sigil followed, and I placed it in a direct line between myself and the Auroral mage casting the heartchain.

The second sigil, a gleaming black circle with a second, smaller half-­circle overlapping the top of it, looked almost like a padlock. It moved of its own accord, floating silently up to Corrigan’s forehead, which would have unnerved him no end if he’d not been too busy dying to notice.

The particular forms of magic I work manifest a kind of elementary consciousness within them, which meant that the spell knew Corrigan was the target of the Auroral mage’s heart-­rending invocation. I quickly placed three fingers atop the locking sigil, then moved it between me and the enemy wonderists atop the citadel walls, looking for my target.

This is where casting a poetic injustice gets tricky. Altering the binding on someone else’s spell requires finding someone to whom they have an already strong emotional connection, which would usually require time and research, neither of which we had to spare. But these idiots had made it easy for me. Beside the Auroral mage stood a fierce-­eyed old gentleman holding her hand. I might not be the world’s most sentimental guy, but even I could sense the love between them. I quickly tethered the targeting sigil to him.

Now for the third sigil. With the thumb and forefinger of each hand, I grasped the two-­headed coiled snake, ignoring the ink-­black tongues that flickered menacingly at me, pulled the spiral straight and attached a head to each of the other two sigils.

The thin silver thread binding the Auroral mage to Corrigan snapped away from him, whipping through the air with blinding speed before attaching itself to the old man next to her. Even when he saw the heartchain coming for him, he didn’t make a move to abandon her. Maybe he was her husband and such a cowardly thought never occurred to him.

Till death did they part, as no one with a conscience might say.

Corrigan painfully sucked air into his lungs, giving me just the barest nod of acknowledgment, then, smiling with smug self-­satisfaction, renewed his attack on the walls with just as much vigour and twice as much pleasure as before.

I had to lean against him just to keep from collapsing to the ground. Poetic injustice spells are hard on the body. And the soul, I guess.

In case I hadn’t made this clear already, we’re not exactly the good guys.

But don’t worry – by the end of this story, me, Corrigan and the five other wonderists who would come to be known as the Malevolent Seven would definitely be getting what was coming to us.

The post The Magic of Malevolent Seven appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and let us know if you’re excited for any of these releases too!

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
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With humor and insight, #1 New York Times bestseller Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship.

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
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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.

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
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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
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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.

Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou
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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.

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
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For fans of Madeline Miller, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.

Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland
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Sarah J. Maas meets A Deadly Education in A.M. Strickland’s lush, queer YA dark fantasy novel. Court of the Undying Seasons is a deliciously dark romantic novel and a pitch perfect modern take on classic vampire tropes.

Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell
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From the bestselling author of THE GREATCOATS and SPELLSLINGER : seven war mages with dark pasts and special powers must come together to fight an unknown enemy – but the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine . . . and someone’s setting them up for a fall.

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead
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The Boyfriend Candidate is perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood, and is all about learning to embrace life outside your comfort zone, and reclaiming control of the voice inside that tries to tells you, you can’t.

Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson
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From award-winning author Leah Johnson comes a laugh-until-you-cry, cry-until-you-laugh story about friendship, change, and the power we have to love ourselves.

Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon
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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.

Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi
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From Ibi Zoboi, bestselling, award-winning author of American Street and co-author of Punching the Air, comes a bold new YA coming-of-age story, which explores race, feminism, and complicated family dynamics, about a girl whose father is the leader of a Black liberation group. The ideal next read for fans of Roxane Gay, Jacqueline Woodson, and Elizabeth Acevedo.

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
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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.

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
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One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”

Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena
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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 Celebrants by Steven Rowley
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A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises—especially to ourselves—by the bestselling and celebrated author of The Guncle.

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

The post May 2023 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way.

Sebastien’s acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series, The Greatcoats. was shortlisted for both the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy. the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series, Spellslinger, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and is published in more than a dozen languages.

Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats. You can reach him at www.decastell.com

Why do we want to know about musketeers and ninjas?

There are three questions which have plagued humankind since time immemorial. The first two deal with uninteresting subjects like world peace and macro-economics and will thus never again be referred to in this article. The third, ah, yes, the third, however, is of vital importance: Could a musketeer defeat a ninja in a duel?

Yes, I know, at first glance this might not appear to be a particularly important question, but the editors of a particular science fiction blog assured me that the future of humankind depended upon its outcome. In order to do my part for humanity, I agreed to write this terrible, terrible article.

No, really, why did they ask you to write about this?

I wrote a fantasy novel called Traitor’s Blade in which there is a scene where a sword-wielding magistrate called a Greatcoat (kind of like a musketeer but not really) is forced to duel two Dashini Assassins (sort of like ninjas only not ninjas.) This, I am told, makes it my duty to evaluate the historical record to assess whether a musketeer or a ninja would prevail in an actual duel.

And how does this qualify you to write this article?

Weren’t you paying attention? I wrote a novel. A whole book. It was, like, a lot of work. There are pages and pages of words. Many of the words are things like “sword” and “thrust” and “parried.” Still not convinced? I also used to choreograph sword fights for the theatre! A-ha! That got you, didn’t it?

Odd, you still don’t look reassured as to my qualifications. Well, let me put your fears to rest. In accordance with the high journalistic standards expected of an article of this nature, I have enlisted the aid of two fictional characters (we couldn’t afford real experts) which I invented myself (we also couldn’t afford licensing fees or a copyright lawyer.) Thus in exploring the major dimensions of the duel in question, I will at times defer to Armand, member of the Les Mousquetaires de la Maison Militaire du Roi de France (a.k.a. “The Musketeers”) and to Hiroshi of the…hum…Hiroshi is pointing a rather deadly blade in a manner which seems to indicate that he’d prefer I not discuss his exact affiliations (a.k.a. “The Ninjas”)

Okay, fine. Get on with it.

Armand: This reader makes rather impertinent statements. I’m tempted to teach him some manners!
Hiroshi: You waste your time. The reader is already dead, he simply doesn’t know it yet.

Umm…the reader is just a fictional construct I created to ask questions. You’re fictional, too, so why am I responding…ah, the hell with it, let’s get started.

The Weapons

The classic image of the musketeer is of the dashing moustachioed figure in the fleur-de-lis tabard brandishing a single rapier (as opposed to, say, a musket.) The rapier was indeed the sword of preference at the time for duelling but it was also common to carry an off-hand weapon such as a main-gauche (a type of dagger) or a buckler (a small shield).

The ninja had a broad selection of weapons both conventional and esoteric, from darts and shuriken (throwing stars) to caltrops, blow darts, and small eggshells filled with blinding powder. Interesting thing about the blinding powder—

Hiroshi: speak another word and your life is forfeit.

Umm…right, let’s move on.
Armand: You make it sound as if the ninja had a superior assortment of weapons but a well-trained duellist might also, when the need arose, defend himself with a pair of rapiers, rapier and cloak, or even rapier and lantern.
Hiroshi: Next you’ll tell us you fought with rapier and housecat when the need arose.
Armand: Better a housecat than some of those preposterous toys you toss about.

A duel, that is, a fight in which both opponents are fighting with declared weapons within the confines of an agreed-upon space, is likely to come down to swords, in this case, the rapier versus the katana. John Clements wrote an excellent article years ago on the various considerations in assessing whether a katana would defeat a rapier in combat or vice-versa (you can still read it here)

Now, while we know that the primary duelling weapon in Europe during the time in which musketeers were employed was the rapier, but it’s an open question as to which sword was most common for the ninja. For the purposes of this argument, I’m going to make the assumption that the classic Japanese katana was the primary bladed weapon of the ninja, rather than the shorter, straighter ninjatō, which may or may not have been a weapon of the period.

One of the most common debates amongst sword enthusiasts is whether a rapier fighter could defeat a samurai wielding a katana. The Katana is, lets face it, the finest bladed weapon ever devised. There have been tests showing it doing better against armour than a European broadsword – which is a heavier weapon designed to rupture armour. The katana is also lightning fast.

Hiroshi: Our steel is like our souls, sharper and better tempered than the weak fabric of lesser men.
Armand: I must protest this outrageous—

Give me a second. I’ll get to the rapier…

The katana is still a cutting weapon whereas a duel usually gets down to who puts the pointy end of the weapon into the other guy first. The rapier is a longer weapon, and a trained duellist would have developed an almost preternatural awareness of distance and reach.

Armand: Ah, you see? Clearly the rapier is the superior weapon just as the musketeer is the superior fighter.
Hiroshi: What good will your weapon do you when your eyes are blinded by my powders?
Ah, yes, that brings us to…

The Techniques

As expert assassins, we can safely assume the ninja would have a wide range of means of distracting and disorienting an opponent even during a duel in broad daylight.

Armand: Dishonourable! This is outrageous—

On the other hand, let’s remember that the musketeer was trained and experienced in dealing with the chaos of a battlefield, with weapons firing all around and opponents on all sides. Furthermore, the expected context for a ninja is one of stealth attacks and striking before the opponent even knew they were there. The ninja would likely seek out the most advantageous position from which to make the first, decisive blow.

Hiroshi: The fat fool would be dead long before the duel had even begun.

Uhm…actually, it’s in the very nature of a duel that both parties would have to be aware of each other, begin from equally advantageous positions, and have to wait until the signal was given for the fight to begin.

The Approach

Assuming two opponents of roughly equal skill in their respective arts, each forced to fight with a declared weapon and beginning on even terrain—

Hiroshi: I would never agree to such an outrageous—
Armand: Ah, so you are scared. Do you wish to withdraw?
Hiroshi: I…accept the terms of combat.

It’s very likely that the musketeer will seek to gauge his opponent’s strengths, using the greater length of the rapier to keep distance between the two while feinting to draw a wasted attack.

Hiroshi: My katana is faster.
Armand: Perhaps, but the cutting movement of your katana requires that the blade travel much farther than the thrust of my rapier.

This is the crux of the matter: in a fight along straight lines the advantage immediately goes to the longest and fastest weapon. The ninja would need to bridge the distance between himself and the musketeer, and would therefore seek to change the terrain – to put the musketeer off-balance or distract him long enough to gain the single second required to bridge the distance.

Okay, so who would win?

In my own novel, Traitor’s Blade, Falcio’s ultimate victory over the ninja-like Dashini assassins comes from a combination of factors. First, he’s studied many of the tricks they use and has prepared for them. Second, he uses the longer reach of the rapiers to good advantage, keeping just out of reach of the assassin’s blades. Third, he finds a way to use the Dashini’s own tricks against them: distracting them for the brief instant required to lunge with both rapiers extended, piercing their bellies and taking them out of the fight.

Although of course the world never saw, nor will it ever see, a musketeer duel a ninja, it’s highly likely that the musketeer, with the greater reach of his weapon and the fact that his fighting style is highly tuned to the spacial and temporal dynamics of a classical duel would be the victor. However what this really shows is that the effectiveness of weapons and martial techniques is dependent on their context. A musketeer would likely never survive an ambush from a ninja nor have the training to withstand an assassination attempt.

We have a tendency of assuming that there must be one ‘greatest’ style of martial arts and one ‘greatest sword’. We keep looking for the most daring or the most skilled warrior. But the outcome of combat is at least as dependent on how suited the particular weapon or technique is to the terrain and situation as it is on the quality of those weapons and techniques.

Hiroshi: This article offends me. The writer has penned his own death warrant.
Armand: Indeed. The scurrilous cur must pay the price for this slanderous screed.
Hiroshi: Then we are agreed.
Armand: Yes! At last, a meeting of the minds! However there is one small problem.
Hiroshi: Which is?
Armand: We must decide who gets to kill him first!
Hiroshi: Perhaps a duel to settle the matter…

The post Author Sebastien de Castell On Musketeers Versus Ninjas appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

2021 is absolutely jam-packed with fantasy and science fiction books that readers around the world are going to devour! Between the months of January and June, readers can expect magic, warring kingdoms, witches, magic, post-apocalyptic worlds, and so, so much more!

Read on to discover some of the January to June fantasy and sci-fi books we’re excited for and be sure to let us know in the comments what books you’re looking forward to!

Want more 2021 releases? Check out our lists for Most Anticipated 2021 Books, 2021 Queer Book Releases, 2021 Romance Book Releases, 2021 YA Book Releases, and 2021 Queer SFF Book Releases.

JANUARY

The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
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Darkly magical and intricately imagined, The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a rich and dazzling fantasy adventure in which a con artist, a vigilante, and a crime lord must unite to save their city.

The Frozen Crown by Greta Kelly
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A princess with a powerful and dangerous secret must find a way to save her country from ruthless invaders in this exciting debut fantasy, the first novel in a thrilling duology packed with heroism, treachery, magic, and war.

Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long
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Epic fantasy featuring warrior priestesses and fickle gods at war, for readers of Brian Staveley’s Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne.

The Stranger Times by C. K. McDonnell
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There are Dark Forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in particular) and so thank God The Stranger Times is on hand to report them. 

Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews
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From award-winning author, Ilona Andrews, an all-new novel set in the New York Times #1 bestselling Kate Daniels World and featuring Julie Lennart-Olsen, Kate and Curran’s ward.

The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson
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The first book in a new environmental epic fantasy series set in a world where ships kept afloat by magical hearthfires sail an endless grass sea.

Brother Red by Adrian Selby
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From one of the most exciting new voices in dark epic fantasy comes an intensely brutal and brilliantly cinematic novel: the story of a soldier torn between loyalty to her family and her quest to preserve a kingdom’s future.

Knight’s Ransom by Jeff Wheeler
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From Jeff Wheeler, the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Kingfountain novels, comes an epic new series of warring kingdoms, deadly family rivalries, and fearless loyalty.

FEBRUARY

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
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Ancillary Justice meets Red, White & Royal Blue in Everina Maxwell’s exciting debut.

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
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When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology.

The Black Coast by Mike Brooks
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Epic world-building at its finest, in an upcoming author’s fantasy debut. The Black Coast is the start of an unmissable series filled with war-dragons, armoured knights, sea-faring raiders, dangerous magic and crowd-pleasing battle scenes.

Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard
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Award-winning author Aliette de Bodard returns with a powerful romantic fantasy that reads like The Goblin Emperor meets Howl’s Moving Castle in a pre-colonial Vietnamese-esque world. 

Game Changer by Neal Shusterman
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This high-concept novel from the National Book Award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of the Arc of a Scythe series tackles the most urgent themes of our time, making this a must-buy for readers who are starting to ask big questions about their own role in the universe.

Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden
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Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters has all the wonder and romance of a classic sci-fi novel, with the timelessness of a beloved fairy tale. 

A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
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Showing that truth is stranger than fiction, Sylvain Neuvel weaves a sci-fi thriller reminiscent of Blake Crouch and Andy Weir, blending a fast moving, darkly satirical look at 1940s rocketry with an exploration of the amorality of progress and the nature of violence in A History of What Comes Next.

This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria
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An #ownvoices debut YA fantasy, This Golden Flame is an epic adventure full of magic, rebellion, and finding where you truly belong.

MARCH

Dead Space by Kali Wallace
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An investigator must solve a brutal murder on a claustrophobic asteroid mine in this tense science fiction thriller from the author of Salvation Day. 

The Councillor by E.J. Beaton
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This Machiavellian fantasy follows a scholar’s quest to choose the next ruler of her kingdom amidst lies, conspiracy, and assassination

Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
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Skyward Inn is Jamaica Inn by way of Ursula Le Guin, bringing the influences, too, of Angela Carter, Michel Faber and Jeff Vandermeer to create a fantastic story of love, belonging, and togetherness. Asking questions of ideas of the individual and the collective, of ownership and historical possession, and of the experience of being human, it is at once timeless and thoroughly of its time.

A Trial of Sorcerers by Elise Kova
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This is the first book in a young adult, epic fantasy that’s a tale of competition, coming of age, distant lands, elemental magic, and romance. It’s perfect for fans of the Legend of Korra, Truthwitch, and A Sorcery of Thorns.

Machinehood by S.B. Divya
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From the Hugo Award nominee S.B. Divya, Zero Dark Thirty meets The Social Network in this science fiction thriller about artificial intelligence, sentience, and labor rights in a near future dominated by the gig economy.

Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley
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In this charming debut fantasy perfect for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Girls of Paper and Fire, a witch cursed to never love meets a girl hiding her own dangerous magic, and the two strike a dangerous bargain to save their queendom.

Burning Girls and Other Stories by Veronica Schanoes
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In Burning Girls and Other Stories, Veronica Schanoes crosses borders and genres with stories of fierce women at the margins of society burning their way toward the center. This debut collection introduces readers to a fantasist in the vein of Karen Russell and Kelly Link, with a voice all her own.

We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep by Andrew Kelly Stewart
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A Canticle for Leibowitz meets The Hunt for Red October in We Shall Sing a Song into the Deep, a lyrical and page-turning coming-of-age exploration of duty, belief, and the post-apocalypse from breakout newcomer Andrew Kelly Stewart.

APRIL

The ​Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book three in her Blood and Ash series.

The Helm of Midnight by Marina J. Lostetter
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A legendary serial killer stalks the streets of a fantastical city in The Helm of Midnight, the stunning first novel in a new trilogy from acclaimed author Marina Lostetter.

The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner
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An evocative combination of fantasy, history, and Jewish folklore, The Light of the Midnight Stars is fairytale-inspired novel from the author of The Sisters of the Winter Wood.

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes
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The Expanse meets Game of Thrones in J. S. Dewes’ fast-paced, sf adventure The Last Watch, where a handful of soldiers stand between humanity and annihilation.

The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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From award-winning author Akemi Dawn Bowman comes an incisive, action-packed tale that explores big questions about technology, grief, love, and humanity.

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird
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Set in a world where a virus stalks our male population, The End of Men is an electrifying and unforgettable debut from a remarkable new talent that asks: what would our world truly look like without men?

Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries, #6) by Martha Wells
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The New York Times bestselling security droid with a heart (though it wouldn’t admit it!) is back in Fugitive Telemetry, a new standalone adventure!

Unity by Elly Bangs
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Evoking the grittiness of Mad Max and the idealism of Sense8, this absorbing sci-fi debut is a dynamic vision of the fluidity of identity. With Unity, breakout author Elly Bangs has created a prescient, moving, and unforgettable adventure that expands upon human consciousness and its possibilities.

MAY

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
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Hypnotic, propulsive, and utterly transporting, Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne forges a new epic, outside the traditional narratives of heroism and glory that leave no room for women.

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
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A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy.

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller
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In Blade of Secrets, the first book in Tricia Levenseller’s exciting new YA fantasy duology, a teenage blacksmith with social anxiety is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she’s ever made. 

How to Mars by David Ebenbach
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What happens when your dream mission to Mars is a reality television nightmare? This debut science-fiction romp with heart follows the tradition of Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles, with a dash of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and a hint of The Real World.

Spells Trouble by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
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Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches, direct descendants of the founder of their town of Goodeville. As their ancestors have done before them, it is now time for the twins to learn what it means to be Gatekeepers–the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds, ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and nightmares come to life.

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
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Rivers Solomon’s Sorrowland is a genre-bending work of Gothic fiction. Here, monsters aren’t just individuals, but entire nations. It is a searing, seminal book that marks the arrival of a bold, unignorable voice in American fiction

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman
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Set in a world of goblin wars, stag-sized battle ravens, and assassins who kill with deadly tattoos, Christopher Buehlman’s The Blacktongue Thief begins a ‘dazzling’ (Robin Hobb) fantasy adventure unlike any other. 

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
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For fans of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and David Mitchell, a genre bending, time twisting alternative history that asks whether it’s worth changing the past to save the future, even if it costs you everyone you’ve ever loved. 

JUNE

Star Eater by Kerstin Hall
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A phantasmagorical indictment of hereditary power, Star Eatertakes readers deep into a perilous and uncanny world where even the most powerful women are forced to choose what sacrifices they will make, so that they might have any choice at all.

The Tangleroot Palace: Stories by Marjorie Liu
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New York Times bestseller and Hugo, British Fantasy, Romantic Times, and Eisner award-winning author of the graphic novel, Monstress, Marjorie Liu leads you deep into the heart of the tangled woods. In her long-awaited debut story collection, dark, lush, and spellbinding short fiction you will find unexpected detours, dangerous magic, and even more dangerous women.

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin
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Practical Magic meets Twister in this debut contemporary fantasy standalone about heartbreaking power, the terror of our collapsing atmosphere, and the ways we unknowingly change our fate.

The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw
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Cassandra Khaw’s debut novel is a page-turning exploration of humans and machines that is perfect for readers of Ann Leckie, Ursula Le Guin, and Kameron Hurley.

The Ninth Metal by Benjamin Percy
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From award-winning author Benjamin Percy comes an explosive, breakout speculative thriller in which a powerful new metal arrives on Earth in the wake of a meteor shower, triggering a massive new “gold rush” in the Midwest and turning life as we know it on its head. The first of a cycle of novels set in a shared universe.

The Coward by Stephen Aryan
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Who will take up the mantle and slay the evil in the Frozen North, saving all from death and destruction? Not Kell Kressia, he’s done his part…

Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell
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Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first volume in the new swashbuckling fantasy series by the bestselling author of The Greatcoats.

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
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Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they’re fighting for a common purpose–and falling for each other–in Zoe Hana Mikuta’s high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu’s Legend series.

What 2021 fantasy and sci-fi books are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 48 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Releases To Look Out For In 2021 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

To kick off the second half of 2019, July sees the release of new novels from Chuck Wendig, Pierce Brown, and David Wellington, along with Margaret Owen’s debut novel, Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican folklore inspired novel, and Duncan M. Hamilton’s Dragonslayer.

Moving on to August, we’ll read tales of gods from Micah Yongo, a cursed kingdom from Amy Harmon, and a future princess from Mara Rutherford. Meanwhile, John Birmingham will whisk you away on a sci-fi adventure, Brian Naslund will give you a dragon slayer, and Keren Landsman will bring the sorcerers.

September holds some exciting debuts from Jillian Boehme, Jennifer Giesbrecht, and Rena Barron, alongside new books from authors such as Annalee Newitz, Joe Abercombie, and Juliet Marillier.

What’s instore for us in October? Well Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and more team up for an anthology about witches, Tochi Onyebuchi takes us to a futuristic, Black Panther–inspired Nigeria, and A.M. Strickland treats us to a dark fantasy. Divergent author Veronica Roth returns with a series of short stories, A.J. Hackwith introduces us to a librarian of the afterlife’s library, and Nicky Drayden takes us to deep space.

In November, Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea is set in a secret underground world, Nina MacLaughlin retells Ovid’s Metamorphoses so the women can claim their stories, and Shea Ernshaw’s Winterwood is set in a magical snow-covered forest. The authors from Black Spot Books plan to “chill your bones and warm your heart for the Yuletide season” with short stories, E.E. Knight’s novel follows dragonriders, and Kacen Callender brings us a Caribbean-inspired fantasy world.

To end the year, James Islington’s Licanius Trilogy and Sebastien de Castell’s Spellslinger series conclude, while Milla Vane, Jeff VanderMeer, Rachel Atwood, and Charles Soule bring us new books.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below which books you’re most excited for!

July

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Debut author Margaret Owen crafts a powerful saga of vengeance, survival, and sacrifice–perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kendare Blake–in The Merciful Crow. Read our review here!

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
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A decadent rock star. A deeply religious radio host. A disgraced scientist. And a teenage girl who may be the world’s last hope. In the tradition of The Stand and Station Eleven comes a gripping saga that weaves an epic tapestry of humanity into an astonishing tale of survival.

Dark Age (Red Rising Saga #5) by Pierce Brown
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The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Morning Star returns to the Red Rising universe with the thrilling sequel to Iron Gold.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.

Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In his magnificent, heroic, adventure fantasy, Dragonslayer, Duncan M. Hamilton debuts the first book in a fast-moving trilogy: a dangerous tale of lost magics, unlikely heroes, and reawakened dragons.

The Last Astronaut by David Wellington
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August

Pale Kings by Micah Yongo
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When the gods return to claim their world, the Five Realms will fall, in this earth-shaking epic fantasy thriller from the author of Lost Gods

The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon
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From the New York Times bestselling author comes a breathtaking fantasy of a cursed kingdom, warring clans, and unexpected salvation.

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford
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For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…

The Cruel Stars by John Birmingham
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With a ruthless sect of humanity intent on wiping out their species, five intrepid heroes must think like their enemies in this epic sci-fi adventure for fans of The Expanse and Battlestar Galactica.

Blood of an Exile by Brian Naslund
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After trying to assassinate a fellow noble, Flawless Bershad was given a death sentence. He’s never lost a fight, the most successful dragon slayer in history. But that is about to change. The man who sentenced Bershad to his fate has just given him an out. Kill a king and walk free forever. He doesn’t care about the fates of kings and kingdoms, until, that is, he discovers he is the only person able to save an innocent child and, possibly, the life of every creature in Terra.

The Heart of the Circle by Keren Landsman
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Sorcerers fight for the right to exist and fall in love, in this extraordinary alternate world fantasy thriller by award-winning Israeli author Keren Landsman.

September

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht
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Debut author Jennifer Giesbrecht paints a darkly compelling fantasy of revenge in The Monster of Elendhaven, a dark fantasy about murder, a monster, and the magician who loves both.

Stormrise by Jillian Boehme
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A combat warrior will risk everything to awaken the dragons and save her kingdom in Jillian Boehme’s epic YA Fantasy debut, Stormrise, inspired by Twelfth Night and perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce.

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz
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Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
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The lush world building of Children of Blood and Bone meets the sweeping scale of Strange the Dreamer in this captivating epic YA fantasy debut.

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
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The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier
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A young woman is both a bard–and a warrior–in this thrilling historical fantasy from the author of the Sevenwaters novels.

October

Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery by Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Sherrilyn Kenyon
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Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery will take the classic tropes of tales of witchcraft and infuse them with fresh, feminist perspective and present-day concerns–even if they’re set in the past. These witches might be monstrous, or they might be heroes, depending on their own definitions. Even the kind hostess with the candy cottage thought of herself as the hero of her own story. After all, a woman’s gotta eat.

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi
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Two sisters are torn apart by war and must fight their way back to each other in a futuristic, Black Panther–inspired Nigeria.

Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland
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Beyond the Black Door is a young adult dark fantasy about unlocking the mysteries around and within us―no matter the cost …

The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future by Veronica Roth
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Bestselling Divergent and Carve the Mark author Veronica Roth delivers a stunning collection of novella-length stories set in the future, illustrated with startling black-and-white artwork.

The Library Of The Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
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In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren’t finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden
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The Compton Crook award–winning author of The Prey of Gods and Temper returns with a dazzling stand-alone novel, set in deep space, in which the fate of humanity rests on the slender shoulders of an idealistic and untested young woman—a blend of science fiction, dark humor, and magical realism that will appeal to fans of Charlie Jane Anders, Jeff VanderMeer, and Nnedi Okorafor.

November

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world–a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.

Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender
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An ambitious young woman with the power to control minds seeks vengeance against the royals who murdered her family, in a Caribbean-inspired fantasy world embattled by colonial oppression.

Novice Dragoneer by E E Knight
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In the first book in an exciting and charming new coming-of-age fantasy series from the author of the Age of Fire series, an impoverished girl enters into a military order of dragonriders, but her path won’t be as easy or as straightforward as she expected.

Wake, Siren: Ovid Resung by Nina MacLaughlin
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In voices both mythic and modern, Wake, Siren revisits each account of love, loss, rape, revenge, and change. It lays bare the violence that undergirds and lurks in the heart of Ovid’s narratives, stories that helped build and perpetuate the distorted portrayal of women across centuries of art and literature.

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance set deep in the magical snow-covered forest, where the appearance of a mysterious boy unearths secrets that awakens the enchanted, but angry, woods.

A Midnight Clear by Sam Hooker, Seven Jane, Alcy Leyva, Laura Morrison, Dalena Storm, and Cassondra Windwalker
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Six stories of not-so-merry Yuletide whimsy from the authors of Black Spot Books including a woman so cold she hardens to ice on a winter’s eve. From a murder at the Stanley Hotel to demons of Christmas past, present, and future, and a mad elf and Santa’s Candy Court, the authors of Black Spot Books share their love for winter holidays in this collection of dark winter tales, destined to chill your bones and warm your heart for the Yuletide season.

December

The Light of All That Falls (The Licanius Trilogy #3) by James Islington
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Walk the Wild With Me by Rachel Atwood
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In this new historical fantasy, a young man must use the power granted by a goddess to infiltrate the realm of Faery and save a kidnapped victim before the door is sealed once again.

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane
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A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil—until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.

Crownbreaker by Sebastien de Castell
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Anyone: A Novel by Charles Soule
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Charles Soule brings his signature knowledge—and wariness–of technology to his sophomore novel set in a realistic future about a brilliant female scientist who creates a technology that allows for the transfer of human consciousness between bodies, and the transformations this process wreaks upon the world.

Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer
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Jeff VanderMeer’s Dead Astronauts presents a City with no name of its own where, in the shadow of the all-powerful Company, lives human and otherwise converge in terrifying and miraculous ways. At stake: the fate of the future, the fate of Earth—all the Earths.

What July to December 2019 fantasy and sci-fi releases are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Exciting Fantasy & Sci-Fi Books Out In July-December 2019 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Friendship—it is a relationship between two or more people that implies being friends; and friend is a person whom one knows, likes and trusts. It is intrinsic feeling humans have felt since the dawn of our species, essential to human survival, and a relationship most of us crave to have (or are lucky enough to have). Besides being such an important part of our lives, there is also an added value in using friendship in books; it can be used to explain poor decisions by a character or, more commonly, the drive of a character.

Fantasy explores this sentiment and there are several series that are solidly based on a friendship between two or more characters. Some are popular examples whilst others might trigger your interest for the story and the series!

Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown

Darrow and Sevro are possibly the best example of friendship of the series, yet it is difficult to choose. Most of the story is based on close relationships between the characters and the (inevitable) betrayals that fires the story. Having to start an insurrection to stop the status quo where the Red are at the bottom of the “food chain” whilst the Gold can do however they please, Darrow is chosen to become a Gold to aid the insurrection led by Ares. The story constantly refers to Greek mythology—which is the second reason I picked up the book beside well-deserved high praises from the readers—and a fixed cast system. It is a complex story and it increases in value throughout the trilogy. This series also serves as a good bridge between YA and adult fantasy/sci-fi.

The Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch

This adult fantasy series tells the stories of Locke and Jean who are possibly the best expression of friendship. The two are very different from one from the other, physically and in interests, so they initially dislike each other. Better said, a young Locke rejects a young Jean; this childish behaviour leads to one of the best “father-son” moments between Locke and Father Chains (mentor to both the young thieves).

Locke and Jean share a similar story—they are orphans gifted with well-functioning brains who are brought together and taught by Father Chains. They become friends over time, which we experience on the very first page, and become an incredibly connected pair who are also partners at work. They’re so closely connected that they will also race to save each other lives and willing to sacrifice their own to save the other.

It sounds cheesy written like this, but it had so much depth, love, and frustration with the characters becoming incredibly relatable throughout the books. As much as they are able to think similarly, they are also filling each other’s gaps and skills.

For instance, Locke is skilled at convincing and manipulating people, while Jean is incredibly talented at fighting with his axes called the Twisted Sisters. When oral persuasion does not work, the Twisted Sisters will do the work. The stories themselves are entertaining, usually providing two stories, one exploring the present and one the past so the reader can better understand who the characters are and where they came from.

The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan

Royce and Hadrian are medieval skilled mercenaries selling their trade to the best bidder. Yet, they are not the typical mercenary as they have a conscious and a general interest to do “the right thing”, one more than the other. Royce is talented in the thieving art and Hadrian is the best swordsman. Now, the series improves over time—the first instalment of the series is very simple yet the strongest aspect are the characters and, in particular, the interaction between Hadrian and Royce which gets even better over time. Friendship is so instrumental to the story that a moment of difficulty between the protagonists is key to one of the stories.

Harry Potter by K. Rowling

This trio really does not need an introduction and, possibly, I could avoid going into details. But where is the fun in that? Harry, Ron and Hermione are probably the most famous friendship in this list. Peculiar for many different reasons, starting from the fact that is three people in a close relationship, it involves both sexes, and it is relatable. All the relationships have their ups and down and it does not even start as a friendship. Ron and Harry are in sync from the first moment, but Hermione is the odd student, the know-it-all who rubbed Ron and Harry (and frankly the whole school) the wrong way. If it wasn’t for a deadly threat to her life—pretty much caused by our favourite rascals—the group would not have become the trio we all know and love.

The characters still go through rough times, for instance when Harry participates in the Tri-Wizard Cup and Ron does not talk to Harry for a long time. Ron and Hermione also go through a similar phase for quite some time amongst many other moments between the trio. Now, this is a teenager friendship, but it is nice to see that it will continue to flourish and keep the close bond when the characters become adults. As a side note, I’m still waiting for series where Harry is an Auror!

The Witchland series by Susan Dennard

The story is based on the friendship between two talented witches Isuelt and Safiya, the first with the power to see threads between people and the second with the power to sense if people are truthful. The friendship made it into the list primarily because it is a friendship amongst women—which is very unusual in fantasy although lately there is more and more focus on diversification of characters.

It is debatable whether one gives more than she receives from the other (Safi), but it is heartwarming to know that there is someone out there who is willing to do all she can to make sure the other is well. In this, this is an exemplary friendship. The story is also fairly fascinating, it is based on the premise that Safi is a truthwitch, a once-in-a-lifetime birth (in fact a bit more rare than that) and Iz and Safi embark on an adventure, more like a run, to save themselves from control by others.

The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington

The relationship between Davian, Wirr, and Ashalia is the first milestone of the story. The series is reminiscent of Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and The Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien for the grandeur of the world, the plot (a quest to defeat a dark lord) and yet, it is modern in terms of characters ambiguity, character development and world building. It is the friendship between Davian and Wirr that will kick all the events in the book and save someone’s life in the process. Ashalia’s development is partially based on her relationship with Wirr and Davian.

Greatcoats by Sebastien de Castell

Imagine the Three Musketeers crossed with the justice system and this would be the Greatcoats series. Falcio, Kent, and Brasti are Greatcoats serving the King as travelling magistrates to provide justice around the reign. They become outlaws when the nobles decide to kill the King; yet, the Greatcoats’ work is not done because the King gave each Greatcoat a quest before his death. Specifically, Falcio, Kent, and Brasti work together as a cohesive group, depending on each other’s skills and abilities. The story is mostly narrated through Falcio’s perspective—with a lot of irony, bordering into sarcasm, and a lot of dry humour. The series grows in content and darkness, tackling very severe and violent crimes, and describing the relationship between the three main characters. The series also explores the needs to individual growth and personal discoveries to be able to contribute to the group as a whole. It is absolutely entertaining and you might want to be a Greatcoat by the end of the first book!

The Band by Nicholas Eames

The series has an extremely interesting foundation: Rock stars meet fantasy. The result is an incredibly coloured and varied cast of fun, strong, complicated men who fought together as a band for hire. Friendship is the whole trigger for the story and the adventure old friends start—to save a damsel in distress, only the damsel is the daughter of one of the warriors and a bad-ass warrior herself, leading a group of mercenaries. The book is incredibly entertaining, with several hints to video-games. You might want to give it a go!

Are there more friendships you would like to see in this list? Are you going to read one or more books mentioned here? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!

The post Friendships in Fantasy Books appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Will you be checking out any of these books? Let us know in the comments below!

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh | May 16 | Goodreads
Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At seventeen, she is betrothed in order to elevate her family’s standing, but Mariko narrowly escapes an ambush by the Black Clan, who has been hired to kill her. Dressed as a peasant boy, she plans to infiltrate the Black Clan until she is captured and taken to meet the leaders. Still believing her to be a boy, she grows on them and as she gets closer, she discovers a dark history of secrets, betrayal and murder.

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare | May 23 | Goodreads
Emma Carstairs has avenged her parents and she thought she’d be at peace, but she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for Julian and her desire to protect him from the consequences it bears, she begins dating his brother Mark. Meanwhile, the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, the group must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han | Out Now | Goodreads
Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. Head over heels in love, her dad’s finally getting remarried and Margot’s coming home for the summer. But change is looming on the horizon and while Lara Jean is having fun and planning her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make about college and what that means for her relationship. When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

Dark Breaks The Dawn by Sara B. Larson | May 30 | Goodreads
Now 18, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan can finally access the full range of her magical powers. But while her mother remains busy at the war front, the corrupt king is plotting in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon. King Bain wants to control both kingdoms, and his plan will see Evelayn on the throne sooner than she expected. In order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to learn to shapeshift and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir, but not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between Light and Dark comes at a steep price.

The Traitor’s Kiss by Erin Beaty | May 9 | Goodreads
With a sharp tongue and temper, Sage Fowler is not what they’d call a lady. Deemed unfit for marriage, Sage is apprenticed to a matchmaker and tasked with wrangling other young ladies to be married off. The girls’ military escort senses a political uprising and she is recruited to infiltrate the enemy ranks. The more she discovers as a spy, the less certain she becomes about who to trust―and Sage becomes caught in a dangerous balancing act that will determine the fate of her kingdom.

Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell | Out Now | Goodreads
Kellen’s dreams of becoming a powerful mage are shattered after a magical duel results in the loss of his abilities. When other young mages begin to suffer the same fate, he is accused of unleashing a curse on his clan and is forced to flee with the help of a mysterious foreign woman. Unsure who trust, Kellen struggles to learn how to survive without his magic and seeks the true source of the curse. He learns members of his clan seek to take power so he must race to his city in a desperate bid to outwit the mages before they destroy his family.

The Black Witch by Laurie Forest | Out Now | Goodreads
Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter of the last prophesied Black Witch and while she is the spitting image of her grandmother, Elloren is devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else. When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, she soon realises the university admits all manner of people, including her people’s enemies. As evil looms and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew will be challenged and torn away.

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich | May 16 | Goodreads
A secret organisation cultivates teenage spies and their agents are known as Love Interests, because getting close to people destined for great power means getting valuable secrets. Caden is a Nice: The boy next-door and sculpted to physical perfection. Whereas Dylan is a Bad: The brooding, dark-souled guy, and dangerously handsome. Both are competing for the same girl, who is important to the organisation, but who will she choose? Because whoever she doesn’t choose will die.

Grace & The Fever by Zan Romanoff | May 16 | Goodreads
In middle school, everyone was a Fever Dream fan and now, a few weeks after her high school graduation, Grace Thomas sometimes feels like the only one who never moved on. She can’t image what she’d do without the community of online fans that share her obsession. Then the unthinkable happens: Grace meets her idol. What starts out as an elusive glimpse of Fever Dream’s world turns into an unlikely romance, and leads her to confront dark, complex truths about herself and the realities of stardom.

House of Furies by Madeleine Roux | May 30 | Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Louisa Ditton is thrilled to find employment as a maid at a boarding house, but soon after her arrival, she begins to realise that the house’s mysterious owner, Mr Morningside, is providing much more than lodging for his guests. The house is a place of judgement where the staff execute their own justice on those who are past being saved. Louisa begins to fear for a man named Lee who is not like the other guests and Louisa knows that it may be up to her to save him from an untimely judgement.

Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner | May 16 | Goodreads
Kamet, a secretary and slave to his Mede master, has the ambition and the means to become one of the most powerful people in the Empire. But with a whispered warning the future he envisioned is wrenched away, and he is forced onto a very different path. Set in the world of the Queen’s Thief, an ordinary hero takes on an extraordinary mission.

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus | May 30 | Goodreads
Five students walk into detention: Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule; Addy, the beauty, is the perfect homecoming princess; Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing; Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher; and Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app. Before the end of detention, Simon is dead and it wasn’t an accident. He planned to post juicy gossip on all four classmates, which makes them all suspects or are they just the perfect patsies for a killer who’s on the loose?

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