fantasy

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: New/Upcoming Fantasy Releases

- Meg Leave a comment

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine (though it seems as though it’s been a while since she updated that particular blog, so if you know of the current host, if there is one, please let me know) that highlights upcoming releases that we’re impatiently waiting for. This week I’m featuring upcoming/newly released Adult Fantasy titles I’m excited to read!  As usual, pub dates change without warning, so keep that in mind!

The Book of Gothel, by Mary McMyne – I don’t know what it is a bout fairytale retellings and specifically Rapunzel retellings, but as soon as this came on my radar, I added it to my ‘keep an eye on this’ list because I’m supremely interested in the story being told from the mother’s point of view. The last Rapunzel retelling I recall having the mother’s point of view in it is Donna Jo Napoli’s Zel, and it added a level to the story that I hadn’t considered before then. (July 26, 2022)

The Oleander Sword, by Tasha Suri – This is the follow up to The Jasmine Throne (which I haven’t read yet), but that doesn’t stop me from adding it to my TBR because I definitely am in the mood for some chonky fantasy, and Orbit has been releasing a lot of amazing looking books lately! (August 16, 2022)

The Cage of Dark Hours, by Marina Lostetter – I read the first book last summer and really enjoyed it, and I usually don’t start series until at least one of the other books are announced/released, but this was an exception! I loved the world-building, loved the intrigue, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next. (February 14, 2023)

The Bone Orchard, by Sara A. Mueller – This looks creepy and fantastic, with necromancy and witches and madams. I’ve been in the mood for deliberately weird/creepy fantasy, and this feels like it’ll be just what I want. (March 22, 2022)

The City of Dusk, by Tara Sim – Another book with bone and shadow magic, with four houses and gods for each, necromancy and intrigue. I’ve been meaning to read Sim’s work, and this seems like a great start! It’s been getting some decent reviews from what I’ve seen, and again, I’m ready for some hefty fantasy reads this spring/summer.  (March 22, 2022)

Are any of these on your TBR? What upcoming fantasy titles are you excited to read?

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: New/Upcoming YA Fantasy Releases

- Meg Leave a comment

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine (though it seems as though it’s been a while since she updated that particular blog, so if you know of the current host, if there is one, please let me know) that highlights upcoming releases that we’re impatiently waiting for. This week I’m featuring upcoming/newly released YA Fantasy titles I’m excited to read!  As usual, pub dates change without warning, so keep that in mind!

Bright Ruined Things, by Samantha Cohoe – Apparently a retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest set on an island with Mae, a young woman living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family. The Prosper family controls the magic on the island and the spirits inhabiting it. It sounds dark and magical and like my usual foray into YA fantasy. Plus, that cover is giving me Art Deco vibes, and I’m here for it. (February 15, 2022)

A Thousand Steps Into Night, by Traci Chee – A Japanese-influenced fantasy brimming with demons, adventure, and plans gone awry. The full description of this book sounds like Inuyasha?? This cover is gorgeous, as well. (March 1, 2022)

A Forgery of Roses, by Jessica S. Olson – This is a murder mystery gothic fantasy that sounds like it has The Picture of Dorian Gray vibes?? The main character is an artist whose paintings can alter real life, including possibly raising the dead?? Everything about this sounds amazing. (March 29, 2022)

A Far Wilder Magic, by Allison Saft – Give me any kind of fantasy involving alchemy and alchemists. I meant to read Saft’s first novel last year, but I never got around to it, but I think if I enjoy this, I’ll have to pick that one up too. This one seems like a more quiet slowburn kind of fantasy romance, and I think I’ll enjoy it. (March 8, 2022)

A Magic Steeped in Poison, by Judy I. Lin – This is about the magical art of tea-making, and Ning has inadvertently brewed the poison tea that killed her mother. Ning travels to the imperial city to compete in a tea-making competition to win a favor from the princess that might save her sister’s life. This gives me a little bit of The Bone Witch vibes for some reason, but tea-making competitions??? I need it. (March 29, 2022)

Are any of these on your TBR? What romances are you excited to read?

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: Upcoming Fantasy Releases

- Meg Leave a comment

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine (though it seems as though it’s been a while since she updated that particular blog, so if you know of the current host, if there is one, please let me know) that highlights upcoming releases that we’re impatiently waiting for. This week I’m featuring upcoming/newly released fantasy titles I’m excited to read!  As usual, pub dates change without warning, so keep that in mind! You can also click on the cover photos for more detail/bigger file size.

  • Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan – Inspired by ancient Chinese mythology about the moon goddess Chang’e and her quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm. The cover of this is gorgeous, I have an ARC waiting to be read, and this kind of lush fantasy is something I am in the mood for. (January 11, 2022)
  • Gallant, by V.E. Schwab – I’m always excited for a new Schwab release, and this looks amazing. (March 1, 2022)
  • Misrule, by Heather Walker – The first installment of this sapphic retelling of Aurora/Maleficent was one of my favorite reads of 2021, and I am dying DYING to get my hands on the finale. (May 10, 2022)
  • Nettle & Bone, by T. Kingfisher – This has a fairy tale vibe I’m here for and that I was already sold on, but the phrase “a chicken possessed by a demon” in the description has made me want this so much more. (April 26, 2022)
  • Spear, by Nicola Griffith – I still need to read Griffith’s Hild, but this is a queer retelling of Arthur mythology that I’m so excited to read. (April 19, 2022)

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: Upcoming YA Fantasy Releases

- Meg Leave a comment

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine (though it seems as though it’s been a while since she updated that particular blog, so if you know of the current host, if there is one, please let me know) that highlights upcoming releases that we’re impatiently waiting for. This week I’m featuring upcoming YA fantasy titles I’m excited to read! As usual, pub dates change without warning, so keep that in mind! You can also click on the cover photos for more detail/bigger file size.

  • Together We Burn, by Isabel Ibañez – flamenco dancers, dragons, medieval Spain??? sign me UP (expected pub: May 31, 2022)
  • The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, by Axie Oh – a Korean myth retelling, with Sea Gods, the most beautiful girl in the village attempting to wake him, and all the spirits in between. This cover is absolutely stunning, but I’m also here for myth retellings in any form (expected pub: February 22, 2022)
  • Extasia, by Claire Legrand – witches and covens, villages at the edge of the woods, mysterious things living in those woods, and truths buried in lies gives me a lot of M. Night Shyamalan vibes and I’m here for it. (expected pub: February 22, 2022)
  • Echoes and Empires, by Morgan Rhodes – forbidden magic, looks a little steampunky, possibly an enemies to lovers trope?? (expected pub: January 4, 2022)
  • Castles in Their Bones, by Laura Sebastian – this bit from the blurb – “there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. Which is a grave mistake. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are no innocents. They have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a singular goal—to bring down monarchies— and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother’s grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria” – is all I need to know (expected pub: February 1, 2022)

Which of these are on your TBR?

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Most Anticipated Releases for the Rest of 2021

- Meg Leave a comment

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly discussion hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl (and formerly hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), and this week’s topic is “Most Anticipated Releases for the Rest of 2021”! I’m sure there are others that I’m forgetting about, but in a glance at my to-read list and things I can remember off the top of my head, here are ten books I’m looking forward to that are coming out in the latter half of 2021. I can’t believe the year’s halfway gone already!! It’s been such a busy year, but I have a good feeling that the rest of this year is going to be amazing.

  • Well, This is Exhausting: Essays by Sophia Benoit– I’ve followed Sophia on Twitter for so long and have loved her presence on social media, so I’m excited to read her essays!
  • The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling – I love the vibes of this cover?? It’s a witchy romance out just in time for the spooky season.
  • Little Thieves by Margaret Owen – I have not read her duology yet even though I own them, but this has all of the fairy tale vibes I’m here for.
  • A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow – I really enjoyed her debut novel, and this retelling and reworking of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale is calling my name.
  • The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling – I thoroughly enjoyed Starling’s debut, and this looks like the gothic horror I’ve been wanting (especially after reading Mexican Gothic).
  • Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood – This is a Jane Eyre retelling, and I love seeing what writers do with that story.
  • Gilded by Marissa Meyer – I haven’t read the superhero trilogy of hers yet, but I’ve enjoyed everything else Meyer writes. The cover of this looks so good too.
  • Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – After reading Mexican Gothic (and I’m in the middle of The Beautiful Ones now), I’ll read anything Silvia writes!!
  • The Penguin Book of Dragons by edited by Scott G. Bruce – Penguin puts out such great collections, and after their mermaid book a while back, I’m excited to see one come out about dragons!
  • Activation Degradation by Marina J. Lostetter – Having just read The Helm of Midnight by the same author, I’m looking forward to reading more of their work! This is recommended for those who like Martha Wells’ Murderbot series, and anything to do with robots/A.I./first contact is everything I enjoy.

What new releases are you looking forward to reading in 2021??