Hello second half of 2022 and hello to all the incredible upcoming book releases we can look forward to!

In this round up, we take a look at some of the most exciting titles to be released between the months of July and December with releases from the likes of Sarah Gailey, Ruth Ware, Alexis Hall, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Courtney Summers, and many more, along with delightful debuts from new authors you should keep on your radar!

Read on to discover just a few of our favourite July to December 2022 releases and tell us in the comments if you’re looking forward to any of them! 

JULY

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen
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A darkly enchanting fantasy debut about a morally gray witch, a cursed prince, and a prophecy that ignites their fate-twisted destinies—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove.

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
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Just Like Home is a darkly gothic thriller from nationally bestselling author Sarah Gailey, perfect for fans of Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House as well as HBO’s true crime masterpiece I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.

The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson
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Rival photographers are forced to collaborate on a body-positive lingerie campaign, but they might have to readjust their focus when sparks fly.

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark
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The masterful story of a lifelong friendship between two very different women with shared histories and buried secrets, tested in the twilight of their lives, set across the arc of the 20th century.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
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The It Girl by Ruth Ware
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The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the “claustrophobic spine-tingler” (People) One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.

Youngblood by Sasha Laurens
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For fans of Vampire Diaries and dark academia, two queer teen bloodsuckers at an elite vampire-only boarding school must go up against all of Vampirdom when they uncover a frightening conspiracy on campus.

Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore
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From Margarita Montimore, the author of GMA Book Club pick and national bestseller Oona Out of Order, Acts of Violet is a dazzling and twisty new novel about a famous magician who disappears, leaving her sister to figure out what really happened.

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne
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Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel in the tower, but do you know the story of the witch who put her there? Told from her own perspective, The Book of Gothel is a lush, historical retelling filled with dark magic, crumbling towers, mysterious woods, and evil princes. This is the truth they never wanted you to know, as only a witch might tell it.

What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix by Tasha Suri
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What Souls Are Made Of, British Fantasy Award-winning author Tasha Suri’s masterful new take on Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and fourth book in the Remixed Classics, will leave readers breathless.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
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New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard is unabashedly romantic, laugh-out-loud funny, and the perfect summer read.

AUGUST

Husband Material by Alexis Hall
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Luc and Oliver met, pretended to fall in love, fell in love for real, dealt with heartbreak and disappointment and family and friends…and somehow figured out a way to make it work. Now it seems like everyone around them is getting married, and Luc’s feeling the social pressure to propose. But it’ll take more than four weddings, a funeral, and a bowl full of special curry to get these two from I don’t know what I’m doing to I do.

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall
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The Haunting of Hill House meets Knives Out in a bid for an inheritance that will leave Helen Vaughan either rich…or dead.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
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New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
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Sunyi Dean’s The Book Eaters is “a darkly sweet pastry of a book about family, betrayal, and the lengths we go to for the ones we love. A delicious modern fairy tale.”― Christopher Buehlman, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
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In this powerful novel about the cost of greatness, a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime—from the New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising.

Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club by Roselle Lim
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A new heartfelt novel about the power of loneliness and the strength of love that overcomes it by critically acclaimed author Roselle Lim.

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
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With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling.

The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu
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A “superb fantasy saga” (Helene Wecker) of martial arts and magic, about what happens when a prophesied hero is not the chosen one after all—but has to work with a band of unlikely allies to save the kingdom anyway, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lives of Tao

You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa
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What could be worse than your ex-boyfriend marrying your childhood best friend? Getting accused of her murder… From the author of My Sweet Girl comes a dangerously addictive new thriller about a lavish Sri Lankan wedding celebration that not everyone will survive.

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead
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From the author of the acclaimed In My Dreams I Hold a Knife comes a pitch-black thriller about a woman determined to destroy a powerful cult and avenge the deaths of the women taken in by it, no matter the cost.

Luck and Last Resorts by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
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They have a second chance at love, but there are some rough seas ahead in the new contemporary romance from the acclaimed author of Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships.

The First Binding by R.R. Virdi
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A thrilling new take on Epic Fantasy, inspired by the many culturally divergent stops along a fantastical Silk Road, that follows a storyteller and a singer on the run from their old lives and secrets. 

SEPTEMBER

I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers
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Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne
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From USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game Sally Thorne comes something a little unexpected… a historical rom-com that imagines Victor Frankenstein’s sheltered younger sister, and her attempts to create the perfect man.

Ithaca by Claire North
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This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Beyond Ithaca’s shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women—and their goddesses—that will change the course of the world.

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
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From New York Times Bestselling author Kwame Alexander comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that tells the story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family.

Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo
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From the author of To Kill a Kingdom comes Princess of Souls, a Rapunzel-inspired YA fantasy romance about a teen witch groomed to steal souls for an immortal king and the reckless, rebellious boy to whom her fate is tied.

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
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Tamsyn Muir’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling Locked Tomb Series continues with Nona …the Ninth?

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror
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Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
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From New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young comes a deeply atmospheric story about ancestral magic, an unsolved murder, and a second chance at true love.

People Person by Candice Carty-Williams
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From an author with “a flair for storytelling that appears effortlessly authentic” (Time), People Person is a vibrant and charming celebration of discovering family as an adult.

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends comes the first book in a captivating new duology following an ill-matched pair of spies posing as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders in 1930s Shanghai.

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
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Full of court intrigue, queer romance, and terrifying monsters—this gothic epic fantasy will appeal to fans of Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree and the adult animated series Castlevania.

Direwood by Catherine Yu
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In this velvet-clad 1990s gothic horror, Aja encounters a charming vampire who wants to lure her into the woods―just like her missing sister.

OCTOBER

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra
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In Rati Mehrotra’s Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove, a young guardswoman struggles with her unwitting role as a major pawn in the deadly games between two kingdoms in a monster-infested alternate medieval India.

Sign Here by Claudia Lux
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A darkly humorous, surprisingly poignant, and utterly gripping debut novel about a guy who works in Hell (literally) and is on the cusp of a big promotion if only he can get one more member of the wealthy Harrison family to sell their soul.

A Cosmic Kind of Love by Samantha Young
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Space is the last thing an event planner and an astronaut need in this charming new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young.

Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle
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From the author of Twice Shy comes a sprightly Christmas novel, a rollicking romp through the absurdity of family holidays and the hope of new love.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
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From the number one bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere, a deeply suspenseful and heartrending novel about the unbreakable love between a mother and child in a society consumed by fear.

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal
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From International Latino Book Award-winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal comes a gorgeously written family saga about a Puerto Rican teenager who finds herself gifted (or cursed?) with a strange ability.

Dead Man’s Hand by James J. Butcher
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In the tradition of his renowned father, James J. Butcher’s debut novel is a brilliant urban fantasy about a young man who must throw out the magical rule book to solve the murder of his former mentor.

A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo
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Award-winning author Malinda Lo returns to the Bay Area with another masterful coming-of-queer-age story, this time set against the backdrop of the first major Supreme Court decisions legalizing gay marriage. And almost sixty years after the end of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Lo’s new novel also offers a glimpse into Lily and Kath’s lives since 1955.

Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty
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Amateur detective Mallory Viridian’s talent for solving murders ruined her life on Earth and drove her to live on an alien space station, but her problems still follow her in this witty, self-aware novel that puts a speculative spin on murder mysteries, from the Hugo-nominated author of Six Wakes.

Jackal by Erin E. Adams
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A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white Rust Belt town. But she’s not the first—and she may not be the last. . . .

Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen
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A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen’s Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.

Strike the Zither by Joan He
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A dazzling new fantasy from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, Strike the Zither is a powerful, inventive, and sweeping fantasy that reimagines the Chinese classic tale of the Three Kingdoms.

NOVEMBER

The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix
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Love and duty collide in this richly imagined, atmospheric young adult debut about a witch whose dark powers put her at the center of a brewing war between the only family she’s ever known and the enemy who makes her question everything.

She’s Gone by David Bell
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When 17-year-old Hunter Gifford wakes in the hospital on the night of homecoming, he’s shocked to learn he and his girlfriend, Chloe Summers, have been in a terrible car accident. Hunter has no memory of the crash, and his shock turns to horror when he is told Chloe’s blood has been found in the car—but she has disappeared.

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
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After All the Feels and Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade once again delivers a warm and wonderful romantic comedy about two co-stars who once had an incredible one-night stand—and after years of filming on the same remote island, are finally ready to yield to temptation again…

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
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From Susan Dennard, the New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series, comes a haunting and high-octane contemporary fantasy, about the magic it takes to face your fears in a nightmare-filled forest, and the mettle required to face the secrets hiding in the dark corners of your own family.

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth
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White Horse is a gritty, vibrant debut from Erika T. Wurth about an Indigenous woman who must face her past when she discovers a bracelet haunted by her mother’s spirit.

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun
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The author of the “swoon-worthy debut” (Harper’s Bazaar) The Charm Offensive returns with a festive romantic comedy about a woman who fakes an engagement with her landlord…only to fall for his sister.

Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga by Lindy Ryan and Christina Henry
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A collection of new and exclusive short stories inspired by the Baba Yaga. Featuring Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Monique Snyman, Donna Lynch, Lisa Quigley, and R. J. Joseph, with a foreword by Christina Henry.

Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli
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A stunning and witty debut novel about a young woman’s emotional journey through unimaginable loss, pulled along by her tight-knit Nigerian family, a posse of new friends, and the love and laughter she shared with her husband. Onyi Nwabineli is a fresh new voice for fans of Yaa Gyasi, Queenie and I May Destroy You.

The Cloisters by Katy Hays
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The Secret History meets Ninth House in this sinister, atmospheric novel following a circle of researchers as they uncover a mysterious deck of tarot cards and shocking secrets in New York’s famed Met Cloisters.

Wait For Me by Sara Shepard
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Dating New York socialite Marcus Coleman, Casey has had trouble recognizing herself lately. But things only get stranger when she begins to hear a voice in her head: one that warns her of danger and leads her to the sleepy town of Avon, where she recognizes people and places she couldn’t possibly know, including a beguiling local boy who seems important to her past—and her present.

Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese
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Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
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A rich, eccentric family. A time-honored tradition. Or a lethal game of survival? One woman is about to find out if she has what it takes to join her husband’s family in this riveting, must-read thriller from the author of Something in the Water, Mr. Nobody, and The Disappearing Act.

DECEMBER

Queen of Myth and Monsters by Scarlett St. Clair
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Queen becomes conqueror in this powerful follow-up to King of Battle and Blood where Queen Isolde de Lara has come into her own as the newly coronated queen of Cordova.  She and her mate, the vampire King Adrian, battle insurrection from the Nine Kingdoms…and a mysterious plague that turns humans to monsters. But hell hath no fury like Isolde’s wrath when she discovers that one of the vassal kings has enslaved her mother’s people.

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar
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Adiba Jaigirdar, author of one of Time‘s Best YA books of all time, gives Titanic an Ocean’s 8 makeover in this nail-biting heist set onboard the infamous ship.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales
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A girl enters a reality dating competition to get revenge on her cheating, royal-adjacent ex-boyfriend, and ends up falling for another girl on the show—in fact, the girl he cheated on her with.

The Widowmaker by Hannah Morrissey
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A wealthy family shrouded in scandal; a detective tasked with solving an impossible cold case; and a woman with a dark past collide in Hannah Morrissey’s stunning new Black Harbor mystery, The Widowmaker.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson
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Sometimes two cooks in the kitchen are better than one in this swoony romantic comedy from the author of I’m So (Not) Over You.

The Last Invitation by Darby Kane
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Darby Kane, the author of the critically acclaimed and #1 International Bestseller Pretty Little Wife, has crafted another gripping and twisty suspense about an invitation to an exclusive club that comes with deadly consequences.

Acting the Part by Z.R. Ellor
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This delightfully tropey teen romance perfect for fans of Ashley Poston and Lyla Lee follows a queer teen actor navigating their gender identity—while pretending to date their co-star.  

All the Dark Places by Terri Parlato
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A savage murder rocks a quiet Massachusetts suburb, revealing the dark secrets at the center of a group of friends and setting two women – one with a traumatic past, the other a Boston police detective – on a hunt for truth in this stylish debut thriller for fans of Megan Miranda and Shari Lapena…

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
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For readers of Station Eleven and Where the Crawdads Sing comes a hopeful, sweeping story of survival and resilience spanning one extraordinary woman’s lifetime as she navigates the uncertainty, brutality, and arresting beauty of a rapidly changing world.

The Key to My Heart: A Novel by Lia Louis
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A heartwarming novel about hope after loss as a young widow receives mysterious messages of love from the “must-buy author” (Jodi Picoult) of Eight Perfect Hours.

The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
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My Dark Vanessa meets The Queen’s Gambit in this new novel of suspense about the bonds of family, the limits of talent, the risks of ambition, and the rewards of revenge.

Witcha Gonna Do by Avery Flynn
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An unlucky witch and her know-it-all nemesis must team up in the first of a new, spicy romantic comedy series from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn.

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

The post Get Your Hands On These Anticipated July To December 2022 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The necromancers are back in Harrow the Ninth, and they’re gayer than ever. But before we see Harrow out in the world, we had the chance to chat with award-winning and bestselling author Tamsyn Muir! We dove into the writing process of Harrow, snippets for the conclusion of The Locked Tomb Trilogy, writing while in quarantine, and more!

Hi Tamsyn! Tell us about yourself! How have you been these past months?

Pretty well hit for six, between COVID-19 and getting used to my first novel being out. There’s a lot of very helpful guides out there for debut novelists from older, more experienced authors, all of which I read diligently, but there is still so much stuff you have to get to grips with by yourself. You learn how much you can bear being in the public eye. At the end of the day I am not remotely in the public eye – my only claim to fame is that I have a Wikipedia page, with a photo mocked by all who love me for its look of intense despair barely masked by a sickly grin – but oh my God, I cannot stand it. There are days when I am existentially sick from anyone reading my book, talking about my book, discussing my book, and because I am woman-oriented discussing feature flaws of my presentation I had previously not worried about. I can’t imagine what it is like being a real celebrity. Who are all these rhino-skinned daredevils seeking fame on YouTube and where can I get some of their reckless confidence? I’ve had to block Twitter, Goodreads, Tumblr, Reddit, a whole bunch more I can’t even remember, and Google. The whole Internet drops when you block Google. I can only access Gmail on my phone now.

Anyway, I have also been fine. I tried to bake a three-layer chiffon cake at one point to challenge a friend. It came out heartbreakingly adequate. I’m still also trying to learn how to poach eggs, and I think the takeaway is to let other people poach eggs for you.

Harrow the Ninth is about to be released, what can readers and fans expect from it?

Just in case people thought the title was a blind, a LOT of Harrowhark Nonagesimus. If you’re not a fan of Harrow, I suggest buying my book but crossing out Harrow’s name and substituting it with your own or something. No big spoilers, but it’s a story about Harrowhark – Reverend Daughter of the House of the Ninth, notable dutyholic with a huge crush on bones – being left to fend utterly for herself after becoming a Lyctor. She’s got one inappropriate father figure (God), two mentors who have too much going on to be bothered about a broken teenage girl, one enigma, and one Ianthe (Ianthe). Any friends and allies and loved ones from Gideon the Ninth are not present, except in her memories, and her memories… may not represent what previous readers recall from the first book.

It is a book that really does reward readers who love mysteries, so I’m hoping everyone who covered Gideon in Post-Its returns with a fresh batch of Post-Its to this one. It is a book of clues and then you can turn to the end and see if you were right, just like in an Usborne Puzzle adventure! I’m really excited to see how many of my puzzles, big and small, people pick up on.

A great deal of the book is in the second person perspective. I believe many fans were surprised to know about this. Is this something known to you before you wrote it, did you plan it? Or did it hit you in the middle of writing?

No, I’ve been planning the voice changes in the novel for a while. I’ve always known  the different perspectives for all three books, and although Gideon was close third, Harrow necessarily throws that to the wind. I really loved writing it: it was fun experimenting with the technicals.

What was your writing process like for Harrow? Is it any different from Gideon?

It is true what they say: writing a sequel is awful! You can’t help thinking about the reception of the previous book and you also can’t get the editor’s voice out of your head; you’re not simply writing for yourself, you’re writing already thinking about how people might react to a part. The lens is different. I wrote a lot of it back home in New Zealand, in the middle of still working, and then suddenly writing became a day job thing and the discipline changed. It’s very scary once it stops being the hobby you do on Sundays and starts being the thing you take weekends OFF from.

I love how you built up the plot twists and shocking moments all throughout the book. How did you go about writing these?

There are a lot of Shocking Twists throughout Harrow and I worked really hard to ensure that people got breathing room between them – just like in a horror movie, too many jump scares and you just get so scared you stop caring. I already knew that Harrow was going to be my gothic novel, and the gothic sensibility is high – the plot twists have to be layered in with a creeping sense of dread while everyone wanders around in their nightie with a lit candle. Balancing tension release AND shockin’ twist AND maintaining dread was my mission.

What was the biggest challenge in writing Harrow? And what was the most exciting part of writing it? Was there a part or detail in the first draft that didn’t make it to the final one?

Again, I wrote Gideon for my own amusement outside my day job and it took a little under a year, and it only took that long because I was working long days teaching. Harrow was psychologically, well, harrowing. Delivering a book to a specific deadline is ghastly. I’ve been on deadline for various things now since 2018 and I no longer understand what it feels like to not be on deadline. So that was a whole different paradigm shift. Harrow was a very tight book and very little was left on the cutting room floor; a couple of jokes that didn’t make the landing, a few rewrites. There was one particular moment of absolutely brutal sincerity from one character that I had to go back and take out because I was like nah, not the time, you don’t get to say that yet.

I removed maybe two memes.

Did you have any trouble writing or editing while on a lockdown/quarantine? What did you do to keep being productive?

As we write I am still under lockdown/quarantine. I know a lot of authors have said that quarantine has killed their productivity and that they’ve spent long stretches of time not writing a word, or writing very little and paying in blood for it.

I will be very honest here because I know the conversation around mental illness only works if we are honest: I’ve got severe paranoia that often focuses on the medical establishment, so lockdown has been my brain’s bad theme park. I have got so little done and paid so much for that little. Seeing the numbers of people dying, nearly dying, suffering generally, creating special rules for supermarkets so we did not die or make other people die, flattened me. We had low access to food and medication for a while. I had to fall back on DBT techniques and ended up boohooing angrily in front of the sink while fondling ice cubes. It was not glamorous.

I think the takeaway is that lots of people feel like if they’re not productive it is their own fault for not being mindful enough or organising themselves enough. The whole wellness movement now means that if you feel not up to doing a thing, then that’s down to you not doing yoga at the right time or drinking enough water. The truth is that sometimes you’re not productive and you cannot game the system for reliable productivity. You try to do it if you can – you fail – occasionally you can’t even try. Struggling doesn’t always look like ‘Ah, I was able to write two hundred words today with the help of self-soothing and quinoa.’ Sometimes the only victory you have is telling yourself that things will get better; as an upside sometimes you even believe it.

Also, I should be in New Zealand right now but my country’s locked down and I couldn’t go home, and to add insult to injury my family’s now all basically out of quarantine and getting takeaway coffees and sending me pictures of the takeaway coffees.

It might be too early to ask, but I’ve read from your Tumblr page that you’ll have finished the last book, Alecto the Ninth, before Harrow is out. Can you tell us what awaits in Alecto?

Ha ha ha, that was written in a better and happier time. (Alecto isn’t quite done and currently the book and I are wrestling each other over the Reichenbach falls.)

But Alecto is me pulling back the curtains on pretty much everything, the whole universe and what’s going on with it. I can barely describe it because right from page one I want to show readers the shape of what I was getting at the whole time. Harrow dumps all the clues out its sack; Alecto gives you answers and sits back in a mess of its own implications. It is very much a story about identity and ways in which love is redemptive, but it is also a book where a bunch of queer idiots totally fail to get comeuppance for their VAST assortment of crimes.

One of my first readers, who has not yet gotten to read it, told me the other night that she dreamed she had the manuscript and it chiefly featured a figure called ‘the Bird King’. Understandably the book will now take longer as I have to rewrite it along these lines.

Lastly, do you have any recommendations for your readers? Any recent or upcoming releases you’re excited about?

This has not been a fantastic reading time for me and my to-read pile is massive, but I can say that I can’t wait for the sequel to Silver in the Wood coming out – Drowned Country by Emily Tesh, a novella I’m deeply impatient for. Apparently the English translation of Robert Kurvitz’s Sacred & Terrible Air will be out sometime this year too, so let’s see if that gets into my hot and waiting claws.

Will you be picking up Harrow the Ninth? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Tamsyn Muir, Author of ‘Harrow The Ninth’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar
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This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
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In The Night Swim, a new thriller from Megan Goldin, author of the “gripping and unforgettable” (Harlen Coben) The Escape Room, a true crime podcast host covering a controversial trial finds herself drawn deep into a small town’s dark past and a brutal crime that took place there years before.

The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis
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Combining the social commentary of The Handmaid’s Tale with the white-knuckled thrills of Red Rising, this epic space opera follows a comfort woman as she claims her agency, a soldier questioning his allegiances, and a non-binary hero out to save the solar system.

Lobizona by Romina Garber
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“With vivid characters that take on a life of their own, beautiful details that peel back the curtain on Romina’s Argentinian heritage, and cutting prose Romina Garber crafts a timely tale of identity and adventure.”–Tomi Adeyemi New York Times bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
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Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to the sensational, USA today best-selling novel Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor’s haunted space station.

Blood World by Chris Mooney
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A drug that makes the blood of carriers a fountain of youth, a psychopath who doesn’t care how many bodies he leaves in his wake, and an LAPD detective hopelessly compromised by a dark secret. Together, they’re an explosive mix that’s going to shatter the city of Los Angeles into a million corpuscles. 

Seven Devils by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May
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This first book in a feminist space opera duology follows seven resistance fighters who will free the galaxy from the ruthless Tholosian Empire–or die trying.

Prelude for Lost Souls by Helene Dunbar
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For readers of Nova Ren Suma, Maggie Steifvater, and Maureen Johnson comes a spellbinding tale about choosing your own path, the families we create for ourselves, and facing the ghosts of your past.

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
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When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella’s side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward’s version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.

The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro
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From the authors who brought you The Strain Trilogy comes a strange, terrifying, and darkly wondrous world of suspense, mystery, and literary horror. THE HOLLOW ONES is a chilling, spell-binding tale, a hauntingly original new fable from Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro and bestselling author Chuck Hogan featuring their most fascinating character yet.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The epic debut YA fantasy from an incredible new talent—perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Sabaa Tahir.

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
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RITA® Award Winning author Alexis Daria brings readers an unforgettable, hilarious rom-com set in the drama-filled world of telenovelas—perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin and The Kiss Quotient.

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

The post August 2020 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

When I read Gideon the Ninth last year, I didn’t know that I would be a wreck by the end of the book. I didn’t know it would create such an impact in my emotional well-being. I didn’t know that it would be one of the best books I read in 2019. Reading its sequel, Harrow the Ninth, now is like enjoying a nice, eventful walk… and then getting hit by a bus. This brilliant, confounding, and heartstopping sequel will quench the thirst of the fans, but not without leaving a new set of mysteries to keep us hooked.

Harrow the Ninth focuses on Harrow training in the Emperor’s haunted space station to fight an impossible war. Fresh off of lyctorhood, everything should be going easy for Harrow. But the truth is that both her body and her mind are failing her. And on top of that, someone just keeps trying to kill her.

Muir’s back with the same unique writing style, if not more visceral and more atmospheric. The author describes everything in great detail and uses metaphors and other literary devices that make certain lines and moments so poetic and powerful. I also loved that we get to see the signature humour and sarcasm we first witnessed back in Gideon.

A good chunk of the book is also told in a second person, which I was both excited and hesitant towards when I found out about this because I wondered, “why second person?” and “how will the author pull it off?” But trust me when I say Muir pulled it off—she pulled it off and more. With this new perspective, the readers are given a closer and deeper look into Harrow’s backstory and her new impossible situation. Add this to the shifting timelines and mind-twisting storytelling, readers will want to keep turning the pages to know more.

The plot, of course, is as wild as Gideon. Maybe even more. We see Harrow try to move forward and make sense of being a lyctor (all the while dealing with her unreliable mind), and we see her and the other characters try to fight a new deadly threat.

It starts out simple and slow, but Muir knows how to perfectly build up plot twists and shocking moments. All throughout the book, you will find bits and pieces that will make you gasp out loud, and by the end, you’ll definitely be holding your breath. I particularly loved how the author handled revealing the twists and turns. Other times in other books, multiple revelations near the end come off as cartoonish, but here in Harrow, it’s done so elegantly and carefully. Fellow fans will be delighted that several unanswered questions from Gideon are confronted here in Harrow. At the same time, I’m sure they will be astonished to know what Muir has in store for them.

New characters are also introduced here and they definitely made the story ever so interesting. We finally get to know the Emperor and his living lyctors here, and it was particularly exciting to meet these characters as they all share a history we don’t know about yet. This adds to the mystery and the puzzle of the book. We also see more of Ianthe and witness the newfound alliance/civil friendship between her and Harrow.

I also have to commend the author for developing and focusing on Harrow’s character beautifully in this book. We get to know more of Harrow like we have never before in the first book, and as a result, I rooted for her and I felt for her.

The world-building is one of my favourite things in Gideon the Ninth, and it gets even more expansive here in Harrow. We delve into new topics and get new information on the process of lyctorhood, spirit-magic, the planets and the space they move in, the Locked Tomb, the first saints and lyctors to serve the King, and even the Emperor himself. There’s a scientific explanation for almost everything, and yet, it still feels so otherworldly.

Overall, Harrow the Ninth is mind-boggling from start to finish, and it’s an electrifying sequel you do not want to miss.

Harrow the Ninth is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 4th 2020.

Will you be picking up Harrow the Ninth? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to the sensational, USA today best-selling novel Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor’s haunted space station.

She answered the Emperor’s call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.

After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman’s shoulders.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.

Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor’s Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?

The post Review: Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Harry Dresden is back and ready for action, in the new entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series. When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, joins the White Council’s security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago–and all he holds dear?

The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty
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The final chapter in the bestselling, critically acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy, in which a con-woman and an idealistic djinn prince join forces to save a magical kingdom from a devastating civil war.

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
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The #1 bestselling author of World War Z takes on the Bigfoot legend with a tale that blurs the lines between human and beast–and asks what we are capable of in the face of the unimaginable.

Afterland by Lauren Beukes
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Children of Men meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this “bowstring-taut, visceral, and incredibly timely” thriller about how far a mother will go to protect her son from a hostile world transformed by the absence of men.

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
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A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
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This epic novel follows Kira Navárez, who, during a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, finds an alien relic that thrusts her into the wonders and the nightmares of first contact. Epic space battles for the fate of humanity take her to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and, in the process, transform not only her, but the entire course of history.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to the sensational, USA today best-selling novel Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor’s haunted space station.

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The alternate history first contact adventure Axiom’s End is an extraordinary debut from Hugo finalist and video essayist Lindsay Ellis.

Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh
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From the author of the Man Booker Prize longlisted novel The Water Cure comes another mesmerizing, refracted vision of our society In a world where women can’t have it all, don’t underestimate the relief of a decision being taken away from you.

The Mother Code by Carole Stivers
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In a future that could be our own, The Mother Code explores what truly makes us human–and the tenuous nature of the boundaries between us and the machines we create.

Will you be picking up any of these books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Summer 2020’s Most Anticipated SFF Books, According To Goodreads Members appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The Godserfs Trilogy by N. S. Dolkart
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

While the LGBTQIA+ storylines don’t really appear until the second book, they’re worth waiting for. Though I love stories about falling in love, I also really appreciate the chance to see established and/or married queer people thriving. This series has both, and also a supportive environment for a trans child. Each successive book is better than the one before, culminating in an amazing capstone novel full of humour and heart.

Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather
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Nuns on an interstellar mission of mercy uncover a conspiracy, and even though that’s plenty for a brief novella, there’s also a quiet and beautiful romance. Thoughtful and brave, this story isn’t about religion vs. government, but truly about good vs. evil.

The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher
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This is not the “Snow Queen” you remember: it’s better. Gerta sets out to rescue her friend Kay from a magical and mysterious lady, but she has no idea what to expect. Fortunately, a talking raven, a robber girl, and the mystic strength of the reindeer are there to help her. Kingfisher always finds ways to make you laugh, cry, and sigh, and this is one of her best.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon
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Yetu is the historian for her mermaid kindred, the living repository of memories so awful that they threaten the peaceful life they have built below the sea. For the mermaids were born from pregnant women thrown from slave ships, heirs to unspeakable trauma. But the intensity of those memories is slowly driving Yetu to despair. She must discover the will to put her own needs before those of the community, and also find a way to let memories of love speak louder than horror. Also, Yetu is implied to be on the spectrum (and not because she’s a mermaid, or any other dehumanising reason like that. She just happens to have particular sensitivities and neurological differences), which is extra cool.

The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons
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Janel is a paragon of Disaster Bisexuals, and a genderqueer queen to boot. (Well, technically she’s a count.) She’s stronger than ten fighters combined, can talk to horses, and she doesn’t need any fridging to motivate her. She’s plenty motivated on her own to save her homeland, her friends, and maybe her world. Note, though, that this is the second book in the Chorus of Dragons series and you really need to read the first one, which is somewhat less queer.

Armed in Her Fashion by Kate Heartfield
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This is a very well-researched book, except for the parts that are entirely fabricated. Like for instance the Beast of Hell emerging from the earth and recruiting soldiers, all of whom are transformed into strange chimeras. But Claude, a transman and a soldier, doesn’t want to be anything other than what he is. He’s part of a larger cast of colourful characters

The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman
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This book was way ahead of its time in its depiction of a beautiful pansexual, polyamorous relationship between two men of different species. It’s still extremely timely in its defense of the arts, too.

The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera
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The love between Shizuka and Shefali is truly epic. Their relationship defies demons, overthrows empires, and transcends legends.

Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone
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Kai’s job is to create and monitor gods for profit. Yeah, no big, just manipulating the fabric of the universe while she’s also contemplating issues of colonialism and her relationships. She also happens to be a transwoman. Badass.

City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
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Humans on January have always lived on the edge of a knife, existing on the non-rotational planet in the thin band of dusk between the frozen night side and the boiling sun side. Sophie lives on an even thinner edge, a queer girl in a city of endless rules, expected to stay in line and produce babies. But her love, her curiosity, and her tenacity leads her to other cities, to other paths, and ultimately to a magnificent and transformative revelation.

Honorable Mentions

Because this is SFF, dead doesn’t always mean forever. The following are books in which a queer person technically dies, but gets better. I won’t reveal who dies, but please be aware that slight spoilers follow.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones and Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Even among the many wonders of the Wayward Children series, Jack and Alexis’s love is something special. Death (and various other forms of Gothic mayhem) is more of a challenge than an absolute to a mad scientist like Jack, and thank goodness for that. Also, Jack’s OCD is treated with respect and thoughtful research.

The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In a series overflowing with blood and murder it’s still surprising and tragic when this particular character dies. But adherents to the goddess of murder don’t play by the same rules, fortunately for all of us who love queer love.

The Shadow Quartet by Lila Bowen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Rhett is a bisexual transman of colour in the Wild West, a time and place made even more unforgiving by the presence of monsters. Gorgons, shapeshifters, vampires and more stalk the towns and deserts, and Rhett is charged with hunting the bad ones down. His journeys are action-packed adventures, but also full of self-discovery and moments of tenderness.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The queer death is a bit more permanent in this one, but there is some form of endurance beyond the grave. And in a trilogy about necromancers that’s already broken all the rules, I suspect we’ve not seen the last of quite a number of characters.

Breath of the Sun by Isaac R. Fellman
Goodreads | Amazon

This won the Lambda this year for LGBTQ SFF/Horror, and I want to make everyone read it immediately. However, it’s important to note that there is a queer death in it, and it is not reversed, although it happens before the book begins. I thought it was worth including, though, because there are other deep and meaningful queer relationships, and because there’s so much peace and joy that our queer narrator discovers for herself.

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post John Doesn’t Die At The End: SFF Without Queer Death appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Get ready to escape 2020 with its upcoming fantasy and sci-fi book releases! While there’s many, many exciting new books being released this year, we’ve picked a few titles that are releasing between January and June this year!

There’s plenty of favourites authors releasing new books, including Sarah J. Maas, Mark Lawrence, Veronica Roth, Max Brooks, Sarah Gailey, Yoon Ha Lee, and Tamsyn Muir, along with debut authors releasing their first novels!

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you are looking forward to any of them!

The post Must-Have 2020 Fantasy + Sci-Fi Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

A new year brings new books and we cannot wait to get our hands on some of these 2020 book releases! This year holds many exciting books from both loved authors such as Sarah J. Maas, Eoin Colfer, Christina Lauren, Cassandra Clare, Veronica Roth, Suzanne Collins, and Michele Campbell, along with debut authors releasing their first novel! There’s definitely something for everyone, including plenty of fantasy, thrillers, retellings, and romance!

Read on to discover just a few of our favourite January to June 2020 releases and tell us in the comments if you’re looking forward to any of them!

JANUARY

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Rooted in the hope that can live in anger, Riot Baby is as much an intimate family story as a global dystopian narrative. It burns fearlessly toward revolution and has quietly devastating things to say about love, fury, and the black American experience.

A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen
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Six years after a global pandemic wiped out most of the planet’s population, the survivors are rebuilding the country, split between self-governing cities, hippie communes and wasteland gangs.

The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and Justice for Sara comes a thrilling psychological drama about a woman who believes she escaped a brutal murder years ago—but does anyone else believe her?

Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton
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Inspired by Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Lady Hotspur continues the saga of Innis Lear, centuries later, as revolution, love, and a betrayal corrupt the descendants of two warring kingdoms.

Highfire by Eoin Colfer
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From the New York Times bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series comes a hilarious and high-octane adult novel about a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon who lives an isolated life in the bayous of Louisiana—and the raucous adventures that ensue when he crosses paths with a fifteen-year-old troublemaker on the run from a crooked sheriff.

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley
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Acclaimed author Colleen Oakley delivers a heart-wrenching and unforgettable love story about a woman who must choose between the man she loves and the man fate has chosen for her, in a novel that reminds us that the best life is one led by the heart.

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera
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Balancing epic and intensely personal stakes, bestselling author Adam Silvera’s Infinity Son is a gritty, fast-paced adventure about two brothers caught up in a magical war generations in the making.

The God Game by Danny Tobey
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Charlie and his friends enter the G.O.D. Game, a video game run by underground hackers and controlled by a mysterious AI that believes it’s God. Through their phone-screens and high-tech glasses, the teens’ realities blur with a virtual world of runes, gods, mythical creatures, and more. But then the threatening messages start. Worship me. Obey me. Who else is playing this game, and how far will they go to win?

FEBRUARY

The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin
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In this whip-smart and timely novel from acclaimed author Kimmery Martin, two doctors travel a surprising path when they must choose between treating their patients and keeping their jobs.

Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold
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Elana K. Arnold, author of the Printz Honor book Damsel, returns with a dark, engrossing, blood-drenched tale of the familiar threats to female power—and one girl’s journey to regain it.

The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica
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Propulsive and addictive, and perfect for fans of “You,” The Other Mrs. is the twisty new psychological thriller from Mary Kubica, the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl.

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
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In Upright Women Wanted, award-winning author Sarah Gailey reinvents the pulp Western with an explicitly antifascist, near-future story of queer identity.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
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The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before, in this new atmospheric suspense novel from the national bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace
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Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice, Adalyn Grace’s All the Stars and Teeth is a thrilling fantasy for fans of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval and Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series.

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
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Hailed as a “marvel of a book” and “brilliant and unflinching,” Alexis Schaitkin’s stunning debut Saint X is a haunting portrait of grief, obsession, and the bond between two sisters never truly given the chance to know one another.

The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes
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Rich in imagination and romance, and based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Maya people, The Seventh Sun brings to vivid life a world on the edge of apocalyptic disaster.

MARCH

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas launches her brand-new CRESCENT CITY series with House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
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Exploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, a brilliant, all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
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Chain of Gold is the first novel in a new trilogy that stars the Shadowhunters of Edwardian London.

Docile by K.M. Szpara
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Docile is a science fiction parable about love and sex, wealth and debt, abuse and power, a challenging tour de force that at turns seduces and startles.

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author behind The Unhoneymooners comes a delightfully charming love story about what happens when two assistants tasked with keeping a rocky relationship from explosion start to feel sparks of their own.

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, Marie Rutkoski’s The Midnight Lie is an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us―and the lies we tell ourselves.

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Sharp Objects meets My Lovely Wife in this tightly drawn debut that peels back the layers of the most complicated of mother-daughter relationships…

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes a historical YA fantasy about a musical prodigy and the dangerous lengths she’ll go to make history remember her—perfect for fans of Susanna Clarke and The Hazel Wood.

APRIL

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The first novel written for an adult audience by the mega-selling author of the Divergent franchise: five twenty-something heroes famous for saving the world when they were teenagers must face even greater demons—and reconsider what it means to be a hero…by destiny or by choice.

Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan
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In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Two wildly different women—one a grifter, the other an heiress—are brought together by the scam of a lifetime in a page-turner from the New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Friend Zone comes an adorable and fresh romantic comedy about one trouble-making dog who brings together two perfect strangers.

Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes 
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

With The Year of the Locust, Hayes has penned a breathtaking story about cutting-edge science, a government conspiracy, and one man’s desperate attempt to unravel it all. (Note: According to some retailers, this title has been pushed back yet again to June 2020. The UK version is currently set to September 2020, but after years of previous release dates and delays, this could still change).

Empire City by Matt Gallagher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The author of Youngblood returns with this bold and provocative novel following a group of super-powered soldiers and civilians as they navigate an imperial America on the precipice of a major upheaval—for fans of The Fortress of Solitude and The Plot Against America.

Not That Kind of Guy by Andie J. Christopher
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An office attraction becomes something more when they’re off the clock in this delightful romantic comedy by the USA Today bestselling author of Not the Girl You Marry.

MAY

Lobizona by Romina Garber
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In Lobizona, the first in the Wolves of No World series, bestselling author Romina Garber weaves together Argentine folklore and what it means to be illegal in a timely, intimate, and emotionally powerful narrative.

Swimming Lessons: Poems by Lili Reinhart
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The debut collection of poetry from Lili Reinhart, the actress and outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and body positivity.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
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A powerful and moving novel that explores the tragedies and triumphs of life, both large and small, and the universal humanity in us all, Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society is destined to resonate with readers for years to come.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The start of a bold and immersive West African-inspired, feminist fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series comes The Betrothed, a glittering royal romance sure to captivate her legion of loyal readers and lovers of courtly intrigue alike.

Malorie by Josh Malerman
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In the thrilling sequel to Bird Box, the inspiration for the record-breaking Netflix film that starred Sandra Bullock and “absolutely riveted” Stephen King, New York Times bestselling author Josh Malerman brings unseen horrors to life.

The Book of V. by Anna Solomon
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For readers of The Hours and Fates and Furies, a bold, kaleidoscopic novel intertwining the lives of three women across three centuries as their stories of sex, power, and desire finally converge in the present day.

JUNE

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Zen Cho returns with a found family wuxia fantasy that combines the vibrancy of old school martial arts movies with characters drawn from the margins of history.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to the sensational Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor’s haunted space station.

Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Danger lurks within the roots of Forest of Souls, an epic, unrelenting tale of destiny and sisterhood, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Susan Dennard.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell
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From Michele Campbell, the bestselling author of It’s Always the Husband comes a new blockbuster thriller in The Wife Who Knew Too Much.

Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
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Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.

Wonderland by Zoje Stage
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If Shirley Jackson wrote The Shining, it might look like this novel from the acclaimed author of Baby Teeth: A mother must become a protector when unnatural forces threaten her family’s new and improved life in a rural farmhouse.

The Second Home by Christina Clancy
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A debut novel set on Cape Cod that centers on a beloved family home and the summer that changed the lives of three siblings forever, perfect for readers of J. Courtney Sullivan and Elin Hilderbrand.

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
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Making it up the aisle was the easy part: After marrying the heir to the throne, Rebecca “Bex” Porter must survive her own scandals as she adjusts to life in the glamorous British royal family, in this “highly anticipated” follow-up to The Royal We.

What 2020 book release are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Most Anticipated 2020 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

While there have been many debut novels released this year, we round up some of the most buzzed about 2019 debuts!

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
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In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
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A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford Rebels, in which a fiercely independent vicar’s daughter takes on a powerful duke in a love story that threatens to upend the British social order.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
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In the early 1900s, a young woman searches for her place in the world after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal
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Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
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Set in a world of powerful women, dark magic, and off-the-charts romance, book one of this stunning fantasy duology will leave readers burning for more.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
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A shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive…

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
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Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah in this disarmingly honest, boldly political, and truly inclusive novel that will speak to anyone who has gone looking for love and found something very different in its place.

The Perfect Son by Lauren North
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A disturbing and shocking debut novel of psychological suspense about a recently widowed mother, her young son, and the lengths she’ll go to in order to keep him safe.

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson
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Eragon meets And I Darken in this thrilling new fantasy debut that follows a fallen princess as she ignites a rebellion to bring back the magical elemental crows that were taken from her people.

A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill
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A tender and terrifying literary horror novel–the author’s debut–that tells the story of a family (creators of a haunted house attraction called the Wandering Dark) and the hereditary monsters–both metaphorical and all-too-real–that haunt them.

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
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Seraphina meets Red Rising in a debut young adult fantasy that’s full of rivalry, romance… and dragons.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
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Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skilfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
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Four Queens. A divided nation. A ruthless pickpocket. A noble messenger. And the murders that unite them. An enthralling fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
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A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends…

There Will Come A Darkness by Katy Rose Pool
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Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows meets Kristin Cashore’s Graceling, with a dash of Winter is Coming, in this showstopping debut YA fantasy!

Shadow Frost by Coco Ma
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From young author Coco Ma comes a dazzling new tale of adventure, power, and betrayal, weaving together a stunning world of magic with a killer cast in an explosive, unforgettable debut.

Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen
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A uniquely emotional genre-bending debut, Here and Now and Then captures the perfect balance of heart, playfulness, and imagination, offering an intimate glimpse into the crevices of a father’s heart, and its capacity to stretch across both space and time to protect the people that mean the most.

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
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Westworld meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this stunning fantasy adventure from debut author Charlotte Nicole Davis.

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
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As one by one her beautiful sisters mysteriously die on their isolated island estate, Annaleigh must unravel the curse that haunts her family. Be careful who you dance with. . . .

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
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One pet crow fights to save humanity from an apocalypse in this uniquely hilarious debut from a genre-bending literary author.

Do you have any new favourite authors from 2019? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Best Debut Novels of 2019 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you have read any of them!

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
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In the stunning first novel in Marlon James’s Dark Star trilogy, myth, fantasy, and history come together to explore what happens when a mercenary is hired to find a missing child.

The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.

The Girl In Red by Christina Henry
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From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a postapocalyptic take on the perennial classic “Little Red Riding Hood”…about a woman who isn’t as defenseless as she seems.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skilfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
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From the internationally bestselling author of The Bone Season, an enthralling epic fantasy about a world on the brink of war with dragons–and the women who must lead the fight to save it.

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.

A Boy and His Dog At The End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
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When a beloved family dog is stolen, her owner sets out on a life-changing journey through the ruins of our world to bring her back in this fiercely compelling tale of survival, courage, and hope. Perfect for readers of Station Eleven and The Girl With All the Gifts.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a mesmerising tale of power, privilege, and dark magic set among the Ivy League elite.

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.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
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New York Times bestselling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to a world of amoral alchemy, shadowy organisations, and impossible cities in the standalone fantasy, Middlegame.

Recursion by Blake Crouch
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At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
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In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light.

Darkdawn (The Nevernight Chronicle #3) by Jay Kristoff
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The epic conclusion of the internationally bestselling Nevernight Chronicle from New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff.

Magic For Liars by Sarah Gailey
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Sharp, mainstream fantasy meets compelling thrills of investigative noir in Magic for Liars, a fantasy debut by rising star Sarah Gailey.

Cold Storage by David Koepp
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For readers of Andy Weir and Noah Hawley comes an astonishing debut by the screenwriter of Jurassic Park: a wild and terrifying adventure about three strangers who must work together to contain a highly contagious, deadly organism.

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.

One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence
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Ready Player One meets Stranger Things in this new novel by the bestselling author who George RR Martin describes as “an excellent writer.”

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.

Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton
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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.

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.

What 2019 fantasy and sci-fi releases have you enjoyed? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Best Fantasy + Sci-Fi Books of 2019 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.