Happy new year! Are you ready for new books? Because it’s time. Now. Holly Black kicks off a new series with The Cruel Prince; Seanan McGuire continues her Wayward Children series with Beneath the Sugar Sky; Django Wexler brings his Shadow Campaigns to a close; Chuck Wendig continues the Miriam Black series with The Raptor and the Wren; and so, so much more.
Keep track of all the new releases here. Note: All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher.
WEEK ONE
The Cruel Prince (Folk of the Air #1)—Holly Black (January 2, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Young adult. Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him—and face the consequences. In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
Ink—Alice Broadway (January 2, Scholastic Press)
Young adult. There are no secrets in Saintstone. From the second you’re born, every achievement, every failing, every significant moment are all immortalized on your skin. There are honorable marks that let people know you’re trustworthy. And shameful tattoos that announce you as a traitor. After her father dies, Leora finds solace in the fact that his skin tells a wonderful story. That is, until she glimpses a mark on the back of his neck … the symbol of the worst crime a person can commit in Saintstone. Leora knows it has to be a mistake, but before she can do anything about it, the horrifying secret gets out, jeopardizing her father’s legacy … and Leora’s life.
The True Queen (The Imposter Queen #3)—Sarah Fine (January 2, Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Young adult. Now that Ansa knows she is the destined queen of Kupari, she is desperate to find a permanent home for her people, the Kriegere, in the Kupari lands. But as the small band of warriors crosses into the foreign territory, Ansa loses her fragile grip on her newly-acquired—and violent—fire and ice magic and puts everyone, including her love Thyra, in danger. Inside the walls of Kupari, Elli maintains the facade that she is the magical queen, with her secret—that she has no magic at all—on the brink of exposure every day. But as she tries to prepare the citizens to protect themselves from another invasion, unrest spreads as wielders like her beloved Oskar begin to lose control of their powers. Who has the strength to be the True Queen?
The Forgotten Book—Mechthild Glaser (January 2, Feiwel & Friends)
Young adult. Emma is used to things going her way. Her father is headmaster of her prestigious boarding school, her friends take her advice as gospel, and she’s convinced that a relationship with her long-time crush is on the horizon. When she finds an old book in an abandoned library, things really start going Emma’s way: anything she writes in the book comes true. But the power of the book is not without consequences, and Emma soon realizes that she isn’t the only one who knows about it. Someone is determined to take it from her—and they’ll stop at nothing to succeed.
Runaways—Christopher Golden (January 2, Marvel Press)
Nico, Karolina, Gert, Chase and Molly are in survival mode, hiding out in an abandoned hospital and trying to regain a sense of normalcy. But superheroes don’t get to be normal. When the Runaways try to rescue a teenage girl from becoming a human sacrifice, their mission gets intercepted by a bunch of punks dressed up as the Pride, aka their parents’ former coven. As they try to get the hell out of there, a bloody and bruised guy named Zeke asks for their help. He reveals that a group of supervillains called the Nightwatch is planning to pick up where the Pride left off. The Runaways know that evil adults orchestrating crime in L.A. isn’t the best form of government, so they agree to help defeat them.
Between the Blade and the Heart—Amanda Hocking (January 2, Wednesday Books)
Young adult. As one of Odin’s Valkyries, Malin’s greatest responsibility is to slay immortals and return them to the underworld. But when she unearths a secret that could unravel the balance of all she knows, Malin along with her best friend and her ex-girlfriend must decide where their loyalties lie. And if helping the blue-eyed boy Asher enact his revenge is worth the risk—to the world and her heart.
Everless—Sara Holland (January 2, HarperTeen)
Young adult. In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries. No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever. But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.
The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim: Monster—Shane Peacock (January 2, Tundra Books)
Young adult. After vanquishing the terrible creature that stalked the aisles of the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edgar Brim and his unusual crew of friends return to their mentor only to discover that he has been brutally murdered by an unknown assailant. The group go into hiding, but Edgar’s guardian, Alfred Thorne, forces him to pursue a trade. Edgar begins working with his uncle, Doctor Vincent Brim, and a renowned vivisectionist, the brilliant yet mysterious Doctor Godwin. The more time Edgar spends in the company of Godwin, the more he begins to wonder about Godwin’s motives. And time is running out for Edgar and his friends. A monstrous creature is chasing them, a beast seemingly impervious to Thorne’s weaponry. Can Edgar Brim once again defy the horrors that pursue him, and protect those dearest to his heart?
As You Wish—Chelsea Sedoti (January 2, Sourcebooks Fire)
Young adult. In the sandy desert of the Mojave, Madison is a small town on the road between nothing and nowhere. It’s not an exciting place to live, but Eldon’s not about to wish to be somewhere else. Because in Madison, everyone gets one wish on their eighteenth birthday—and that wish always comes true. Some people wish for money, some people wish for love, but no one wishes for happiness. In Madison, wishing is happiness. Except Eldon has seen how wishing has hurt the people around him. His parents’ marriage is strained, his sister is a virtual ghost in their house, his ex-girlfriend is dating his ex-friend…Where does he even begin? Can he make their lives better? Can he be happy if the people around him aren’t? What even is happiness? One thing is for sure: Eldon has only twenty-five days to figure it out—and the rest of his life to live with the consequences.
WEEK TWO
Teen Phantom (High School Horror #3)—Chandler Baker (January 9, Feiwel & Friends)
Young adult. Lena has always preferred to stay safely in the shadows and out of the spotlight, but now, dealing with the loss of her friend Marcy and faced with her father’s new girlfriend, she feels like she’s on the verge of disappearing completely. Then Chris shows up. Chris, who actually notices Lena and confides in her. Sure that she has finally found the friend she’s been searching for, Lena resolves that this time, nothing is going to take him away from her. Teen Phantom, Chandler Baker’s third twisted retelling of a familiar tale, is once again set in the town of Hollow Pines, Texas, where high school is truly horrifying.
The Lost Plot (Invisible Library #4)—Genevieve Cogman (January 9, Ace)
In a 1920s-esque New York, Prohibition is in force; fedoras, flapper dresses, and tommy guns are in fashion: and intrigue is afoot. Intrepid Librarians Irene and Kai find themselves caught in the middle of a dragon political contest. It seems a young Librarian has become tangled in this conflict, and if they can’t extricate him, there could be serious repercussions for the mysterious Library. And, as the balance of power across mighty factions hangs in the balance, this could even trigger war. Irene and Kai are locked in a race against time (and dragons) to procure a rare book. They’ll face gangsters, blackmail, and the Library’s own Internal Affairs department. And if it doesn’t end well, it could have dire consequences on Irene’s job. And, incidentally, on her life…
The Curses (The Graces #2)—Laure Eve (January 9, Amulet)
Young adult. Picking up the pieces after the chilling events of the previous year isn’t easy, but the Graces are determined to do it. Wolf is back after a mysterious disappearance, and everyone’s eager to return to normal. Except for Summer, the youngest Grace. Summer has a knack for discovering the truth—and something is troubling her. After a trail of clues leads her to what could be the key to both her family’s mysterious past and the secret of Wolf, she’s determined to vanquish yet another curse. But exposing secrets is a dangerous game, and it’s not one Summer can win alone. At Summer’s behest, the coven comes back together, reluctantly drawing their erstwhile friend River back into the fold. But Wolf’s behavior becomes unpredictable even as Fenrin’s strength fades, and Summer must ask herself whether the friend she so loves is also planning her family’s ultimate, cursed demise.
Shroud of Eternity (Nicci Chronicles #2)—Terry Goodkind (January 9, Tor Books)
The formidable sorceress Nicci and her companions—the newly powerless Nathan and the youthful Bannon—set out on another quest after driving ruthless Norukai slavers out of Renda Bay. Their mission: restore Nathan’s magic and, for Nicci, save the world. Guided by the witch-woman Red’s mysterious prophecy, the trio makes their way south of Kol Adair towards a wondrous city shrouded behind time, Ildakar. But the grotesque omens on their path to Nathan’s salvation—severed Norukai heads on pikes, a genetically modified monster, and a petrified army of half a million—are just a taste of the unimaginable horrors that await within the Shroud of Eternity.
A Time of Dread (Blood & Bone #1)—John Gwynne (January 9, Orbit)
The Ben-Elim, a race of warrior angels, once vanquished a mighty demon horde. Now they rule the Banished lands. But their dominion is brutally enforced and their ancient enemy may not be as crushed as they thought. In the snowbound north, Drem, a trapper, finds mutilated corpses in the forests – a sign of demonic black magic. In the south, Riv, a young, tempestuous soldier, discovers a deadly rift within the Ben-Elim themselves. Two individuals with two world-changing secrets. But where will they lead? And what role will Drem and Riv play in the Banished Land’s fate? Difficult choices need to be made.
Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3)—Seanan McGuire (January 9, Tor.com Publishing)
When Rini lands with a literal splash in the pond behind Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, the last thing she expects to find is that her mother, Sumi, died years before Rini was even conceived. But Rini can’t let Reality get in the way of her quest – not when she has an entire world to save! (Much more common than one would suppose.) If she can’t find a way to restore her mother, Rini will have more than a world to save: she will never have been born in the first place. And in a world without magic, she doesn’t have long before Reality notices her existence and washes her away. Good thing the student body is well-acquainted with quests…
Beneath the Haunting Sea—Joanna Meyer (January 9, Page Street)
Young adult. Sixteen-year-old Talia was born to a life of certainty and luxury, destined to become Empress of half the world. But when an ambitious rival seizes power, she and her mother are banished to a nowhere province on the far edge of the Northern Sea. On their terrifying journey, the sea seems to call to Talia in strange ways, and her mother—spiraling into madness—becomes obsessed with ancient myths that talk of the sea-goddess Rahn who rules the watery Hall of the Dead.
The Year of Our War (Fourlands #1)—Steph Swainston (January 9, Gollancz)
Reissue. Jant is the Messenger, one of the Circle, a cadre of fifty immortals who serve the Emperor. He is the only immortal—indeed the only man alive—who can fly. The Emperor must protect mankind from the hordes of giant Insects who have plagued the land for centuries, eating everything and everyone in their path. But he must also contend with the rivalries and petty squabblings of his chosen immortals. These will will soon spill over into civil war.
Naondel (Red Abbey #2)—Maria Turtschaninoff (January 9, Amulet)
Young adult. Imprisoned in a harem by a dangerous man with a dark magic that grants him power over life and death, the First Sisters must overcome their mistrust of one another in order to escape. But they can only do so at a great cost, both for those who leave and for those left behind. Told in alternating points of view, this novel is a vivid, riveting look at a world of oppression and exploitation, the mirror opposite of the idyllic Red Abbey.
The Infernal Battalion (Shadow Campaigns #5)—Django Wexler (January 9, Ace)
The Beast has been loosed on the world. It absorbs mind after mind, spreading like a plague through the north. The fell army it has raised is under the command of legendary general Janus bet Vhalnich. As Queen Raesinia Orboan and soldiers Marcus D’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass grapple with the aftermath of a hard-fought military campaign, the news arrives like a thunderbolt: Janus has declared himself the rightful Emperor of Vordan. Chaos grips the city as officers and regiments are forced to declare for queen or emperor. Raesinia struggles to keep her country under control and risks becoming everything she fought against. Marcus must take the field against his old commander. And as Winter recovers from her injuries and mourns her losses, she knows the demon she carries inside her might be the only thing standing between the Beast and the destruction of everything in its path…
WEEK THREE
Senlin Ascends (Books of Babel #1)—Josiah Bancroft (January 16, Orbit)
The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of luxury and menace, of unusual animals and mysterious machines. Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists, residents, and miscreants. Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he’ll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassins, and the illusions of the Tower. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure.
Poison’s Cage—Breanna Shields (January 16, Random House Books for Young Readers)
Young adult. Iyla and Marinda have killed many men together: Iyla as the seductress, Marinda as the final, poisonous kiss. Now they understand who the real enemy is—the Snake King—and together they can take him down. Both girls have felt as though they were living a lie in the past, so moving into the king’s palace and pretending to serve him isn’t as difficult as it sounds. But when you’re a spy, even secrets between friends are dangerous. And each girl has something—or someone—to lose. Does every secret, every lie, bring them closer to the truth … or to a trap? In Poison’s Kiss, Marinda pulled a dangerous thread. In this sequel, it unravels to a heart-pounding conclusion.
WEEK FOUR
The King of Bones and Ashes—J.D. Horn (January 23, 47North)
Magic is seeping out of the world, leaving the witches who’ve relied on it for countless centuries increasingly hopeless. While some see an inevitable end of their era, others are courting madness—willing to sacrifice former allies, friends, and family to retain the power they covet. While the other witches watch their reality unravel, young Alice Marin is using magic’s waning days to delve into the mystery of numerous disappearances in the occult circles of New Orleans. Alice disappeared once, too—caged in an asylum by blood relatives. Recently freed, she fears her family may be more involved with the growing crisis than she ever dared imagine. Yet the more she seeks the truth about her family’s troubled history, the more she realizes her already-fragile psyche may be at risk. Discovering the cause of the vanishings, though, could be the only way to escape her mother’s reach while determining the future of all witches.
Reign of the Fallen—Sarah Glenn Marsh (January 23, Razorbill)
Young adult. Odessa is one of Karthia’s master necromancers, catering to the kingdom’s ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it’s Odessa’s job to raise them by retrieving their soul. But there is a cost to being raised: the Dead must remain shrouded. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, a grotesque transformation begins, turning the Dead into terrifying, bloodthirsty Shades. A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears around the kingdom. Soon, a crushing loss leaves Odessa shattered, and reveals a disturbing conspiracy in Karthia: Someone is intentionally creating Shades—and training them to attack. Odessa is forced to contemplate a terrifying question: What if her magic is the weapon that brings the kingdom to its knees? Fighting alongside her fellow mages—and a powerful girl as enthralling as she is infuriating—Odessa must untangle the gruesome plot to destroy Karthia before the Shades take everything she loves.
Markswoman—Rati Mehrotra (January 23, Harper Voyager)
Kyra is the youngest Markswoman in the Order of Kali, a highly trained sisterhood of elite warriors armed with telepathic blades. To be a Markswoman, an acolyte must repudiate her former life completely, but Kyra secretly harbors a fierce desire to avenge her dead family. When Kyra’s beloved mentor dies in mysterious circumstances, and Tamsyn, the dangerous Mistress of Mental Arts, assumes control of the Order, Kyra is forced on the run. She finds herself in the unforgiving wilderness that is home to the Order of Khur, the only Order composed of men. Among them is Rustan, a young, disillusioned Marksman whom she soon befriends. Kyra is certain that Tamsyn committed murder in a twisted bid for power, but she has no proof. And if she fails to find it, fails in her quest to keep her beloved Order from following Tamsyn down a dark path, it could spell the beginning of the end for Kyra—and for Asiana.
The Tree (Wrath & Athenaeum #2)—Na’amen Gobert Tilahun (January 23, Night Shade Books)
In Corpiliu, an alternate dimension to our own, a darkness grows, devouring whole cities as it spreads. Robbed of her greatest power, separated from her siblings and thrown among people she does not trust, Lil, a ’dant from the city Zebub, must find a way to turn everything around, to trust in a power she knows nothing about. Erik travels from San Francisco to Zebub, haunted by the ghost of his ex, still coming to terms with his true identity as a descendant of the gods, and unsure how to fight what seems to have no weakness. Pushing back against taboos meant to keep the true history of Corpiliu secret, he gains many enemies and few allies, and strange visions will make him question his own sanity. Between Earth and Corpiliu, a war is developing on two fronts, one that might well mean the end of both dimensions.
The Raptor and the Wren (Miriam Black #5)—Chuck Wendig (January 23, Saga Press)
Armed with new knowledge that suggests a great sacrifice must be made to change her fate, Miriam continues her quest and learns that she must undo the tragedies of her past to move forward. One such tragedy is Wren, who is now a teen caught up in a bad relationship with the forces that haunt Miriam and has become a killer, just like Miriam. Black must try to save the girl, but what’s ahead is something she thought impossible…
Destiny’s Conflict: Book Two of Sword of the Canon (Wars of Light and Shadow #10)—Janny Wurts (January 23, Harper Voyager)
Lysaer’s unstable integrity lies under threat of total downfall, and as his determined protector, Daliana will face the most frightening decision of her young life. Arithon, Master of Shadow, is marked for death and still hunted, when his critical quest to recover his obscured past entangles him in a web of deep intrigue and ancient perils beyond his imagining. Elaira’s urgent pursuit of the Biedar Tribes’ secret embroils her in the terrible directive of the Fellowship Sorcerers, while Dakar—the Mad Prophet—confronts the hard reckoning for the colossal mistake of his misspent past, and Tarens is steered by a destiny far from his crofter’s origins.
WEEK FIVE
The Hazel Wood—Melissa Albert (January 30, Flatiron Books)
Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away—by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother’s stories are set. Alice’s only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.” Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother’s tales began—and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.
Reign the Earth—A.C. Gaughen (January 30, Bloomsbury)
Young adult. Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for an end to the violence that has claimed so many of their loved ones. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bone Lands, a country where magic is outlawed and the Elementae—those that can control earth, air, fire and water—are traitors, subject to torture … or worse. Before she is even crowned, Shalia discovers that she can bend the earth to her will. Trapped between her husband’s irrational hatred of the Elementae and a dangerous rebellion led by her own brother, Shalia must harness her power and make an impossible choice: save her family, save the Elementae, or save herself.
The Midnight Front—David Mack (January 30, Tor Books)
On the eve of World War Two, Nazi sorcerers come gunning for Cade but kill his family instead. His one path of vengeance is to become an apprentice of The Midnight Front—the Allies’ top-secret magickal warfare program—and become a sorcerer himself. Unsure who will kill him first—his allies, his enemies, or the demons he has to use to wield magick—Cade fights his way through occupied Europe and enemy lines. But he learns too late the true price of revenge will be more terrible than just the loss of his soul—and there’s no task harder than doing good with a power born of ultimate evil.
