| Hell Bent by Leigh BardugoWhat happens: Galaxy "Alex" Stern assembles a motley crew to help her locate a gateway to Hell and rescue her friend Darlington.
Is it for you? This heist-oriented 2nd installment of the Alex Stern series is more plot-driven than its atmospheric and slow-burning predecessor, Ninth House.
For fans of: Naomi Novik's Scholomance series, Marina and Sergey Dyachenko's Vita Nostra, or Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy. |
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| Vampire Weekend by Mike ChenIntroducing: vampire Louise Chao, an eternally young punk rocker who's learned the hard way that immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be.
What happens: Louise finds a kindred spirit in her teenage relative Ian, which makes her wonder if it's worth reaching out to the rest of her family after decades of estrangement.
Why you might like it: As with author Mike Chen's previous novels, Here and Now and Then and Light Years from Home, Vampire Weekend uses speculative themes to explore complex family relationships. |
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| Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather FawcettHrafnsvik, Ljosland, 1909: Cambridge professor Emily Wilde travels to an isolated Scandinavian village to research faeries only to encounter her academic rival, the enigmatic Wendell Bambleby, who professes a desire to help her but whom she suspects has ulterior motives.
Read it for: a slowly unfurling narrative in diary format, an atmospheric setting, a strong-willed heroine, and intriguing faerie lore.
For fans of: the Memoirs of Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan, or Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. |
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| The Terraformers by Annalee NewitzWelcome to... the planet Sask-E, an earthlike world slated for terraforming by the Environmental Rescue Team.
Where you'll meet: ERT network analyst Destry, who makes a discovery with far-reaching implications; and Misha, Destry's protégé, who centuries later must decide what to do with the information.
For fans of: Emma Newman's Planetfall novels, L.X. Beckett's Bounceback series, or Kim Stanley Robinson's Icehenge. |
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| This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-MohtarWhat happens: Two time traveling operatives from competing futures fall in love, expressing their longing through letters composed in lava flows, glasses of water, tree rings, and more.
Why you might like it: Fritz Leiber's The Big Time meets Ian McDonald's Time Was in this lyrical epistolary love story.
Book buzz: This brief but powerful book won both the BSFA Award for Short Fiction and the Nebula Award for Best Novella. |
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| A Marvellous Light by Freya MarskeIntroducing: Robin Blyth, the new and non-magical assistant in the Office of Special Domestic Affairs and Complaints; and special liaison Edwin Courcey, who's less than thrilled to be working with him.
What happens: Opposites attract as the duo investigates the mysterious disappearance of Robin's predecessor, a task that may prove deadly.
For fans of: C.L. Polk's Kingston trilogy; Emily Tesh's Greenhollow duology. |
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| Winter's Orbit by Everina MaxwellA marriage of convenience: To uphold a treaty, playboy Prince Kiem of the Empire of Iskat must wed the recently widowed Count Jainan of Thea, whose first husband died in suspicious circumstances.
Why you might like it: This character-driven space opera, originally published on Archive of Our Own as "The Course of Honour," maintains a tight focus on Kiem and Jainan's relationship.
For fans of: the blend of romance and political intrigue in Emily Skrutskie's Bonds of Brass. |
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| Song of Blood and Stone by L. PenelopeStarring: outcast Jasminda, thrown out of Elsira because of her gift of Earthsong; and injured spy Jack, whom Jasminda heals with her voice before they join forces to save her homeland.
Is it for you? A passionate forbidden romance between two people from very different backgrounds is the beating heart of this epic fantasy, which -- beware! -- ends on a cliffhanger.
Series alert: Song of Blood and Stone is the opening installment of the Earthsinger Chronicles; the series continues with Whispers of Shadow and Flame. |
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