Just like that, March is already in the rearview and spring is in the air. Songbirds are hitting the bird feeders, plants are blooming, and the weather's growing more inviting by the day. Which of course means that the time for comfy outdoor reading sessions is at hand! Good thing we've got plenty of books to choose from this April to transport us to distant lands and imaginative realms, no matter where you choose to set up your picnic blanket.
April is a heavy month for the fantasy genre, but relatively light on science fiction. Fortunately, there's still plenty of variety. Want a dark fantasy epic? Check! Magical realism? Check! A highly-anticipated sequel or a speculative fiction mindbender? Done and done, we got you.
As we do each month, we've rounded up a bunch of the fantasy and sci-fi books hitting shelves in the next 30 days that we're excited for. Let's find you your next favorite read!
GIFTED & TALENTED by Olivie Blake — April 1
No, this is no April Fool's: Atlas Six author Olivie Blake has a new book coming out, only a few months after her last release, 2024's short story collection Januaries. Gifted & Talented is a standalone novel that asks, what if Succession but magical? When the head of mega-corporation Wrenfare Magitech suddenly drops dead, his three dysfunctional heirs must return to their childhood home to decide who will succeed him. Each has incredible magical gifts...as well as a closet full of issues.
Meredith is the CEO of her own profitable company, but her empire of grift teeters precariously as ghosts from her past threaten to topple it all. Arthur is a Congressmen losing his grasp on his constituency who's dealing with a "magical misfiring that can ony be called the yips." And Elidh is a former ballerina whose spinal injury ended her career; she now possesses a potentially world-ending power. Which of course she can't control. It sounds like a recipe for a messy succession crisis that's very difficult to tear your eyes away from.
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THE BOOK THAT HELD HER HEART by Mark Lawrence (The Library Trilogy #3) — April 8
This month we'll be saying goodbye to The Library Trilogy, the latest series from fantasy author Mark Lawrence. The Book That Held Her Heart will wrap up the story for Livira and Evar, and for the infinite library filled with uncountable secrets which was introduced in The Book That Wouldn't Burn.
Lawrence is a mainstay of the fantasy genre who's published a number of trilogies, and he always knows how to stick the landing. With the fate of the library hanging on one special book and those closest to Livira scattered across time and space, The Book That Held Her Heart is set to be a thrilling culmination to this tale.
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THE WIND WEAVER by Julie Johnson (Reign of Remnants #1) — April 8
The next book on the calendar for April is a romantasy from Julie Johnson called The Wind Weaver, which is the first installment in her Reign of Remnants series.
The world of Anwyvn is in a dark age of nonstop war and terror where halflings like Rhya Fleetwood are executed on sight. But when Rhya is saved by a mysterious warrior named Commander Scythe, she soon finds herself dragged halfway across the world and into yet more danger. Through it all, she discovers secrets about the world of Anwyvn, Scythe, and herself: she's one of the "Remnants," four beings destined to restore the balance of magic. Provided she can survive long enough to pull it off, that is.
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THE RAVEN SCHOLAR by Antonia Hodgson (The Eternal Path #1) — April 15
Next up is a sweeping political fantasy from Antonia Hodgson, The Raven Scholar, which is the beginning of her new series The Eternal Path. Every 24 years, eight competitors are selected to compete in a number of trials for the imperial throne, each one representing a different animal deity. But on the eve of the competition, one of them is murdered, throwing this hallowed proceeding into doubt.
The onus of solving this mystery falls on Neema Kraa, a scholar sworn to the Raven. As schemes pile on top of schemes and Neema finds herself drawn deeper into the inner workings of the empire, she'll have to decide who she can trust in order to discover who wants to manipulate the contest. The revelations she uncovers will shake the empire of Orrun down to its foundations, and put Neema squarely in the path of deities and powerful factions who want to ensure its stability at any cost.
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THE ASHFIRE KING by Chelsea Abdullah (The Sandsea Trilogy #2) — April 15
Three covers in a row with birds on them — I'm counting this as a good omen for Spring.
This April, author Chelsea Abdullah is finally releasing The Ashfire King, the sequel to her breakout debut book The Stardust Thief. This series draws on Arabic folklore and stories like One Thousand and One Nights to create a rich fantasy world with vast deserts, shimmering cities, and powerful jinn. The first book followed Loulie, a famed merchant of magical items, as she set off on a quest to find a magic lamp with a group of mismatched companions including her jinn bodyguard, a dangerous thief, and a hapless prince. By the end of their journey, Loulie had fallen into the realm of the jinn, promising an even more mystical adventure in the follow-up.
The Stardust Thief was one of my favorite reads of 2022, and as it left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, I've been dying to see what happens next in The Ashfire King.
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A PALACE NEAR THE WIND by Ai Jiang (Natural Engines #1) — April 15
A Palace Near the Wind is a novella from Ai Jiang. If you follow the fantasy and sci-fi awards like the Hugos and Nebulas, you'll probably recognize Jiang's name; she's a relatively new author, but has already made major waves with short fiction like I Am AI.
A Palace Near the Wind is a larger tale which follows the princess Liu Lufeng as she uncovers the secrets of her people — the Feng royalty — and how they became bound to humans. The Feng live close within nature, with "bark faces, arms of braided branches and hair of needle threads," but they are never safe from human expansion. They prevent the razing of their natural home through the practice of bridewealth, or marrying their royals off to human kings.
Liu chafes at this fate, determined to fight back against it. But once she's trapped in a human palace during the lead-up to her marriage, she uncovers the truth about her people's origins and how these practices of delaying the inevitable came about. Only by choosing a new path forward can she hope to end this cycle.
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THE LIE THAT BINDS THEM by Matthew Ward (Soulfire Saga #3) — April 15
The Lie That Binds Them is the third and final novel in Matthew Ward's Soulfire Saga, a dark fantasy series which follows a daring thief named Kat. In the first two novels, Kat joined a rebellion to overthrow an immortal king whose rule was crushing the citizens of Khalad. They may have succeeded, but the victory wasn't as clean as anyone hoped. In The Lie That Binds Them, a brutal new despot sits the throne, and the folk hero Vallant has vanished. Kat has gone from a loner looking out for herself to the unwilling leader of the rebellion. After an assassination attempt sets even more dangerous events in motion, she'll have to gain the aid of a powerful ally if there's any hope to find a better future for Khalad and those who call it home.
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ADVOCATE by Daniel M. Ford (The Warden #3) — April 22
Advocate is the third volume of Daniel M. Ford's fantasy series The Warden. This one sees the series' titular Warden Aelis de Lenti finally return home from her posting at the village of Lone Pine. But the city of Lascenise has its own problems. When she's called on to investigate accusations of murder by magic against her former mentor, she is launched into an investigation which will take her to the dark corners of the city and a subterranean labyrinth beneath. Along the way, she'll team up with an old friend from her college days and a war-haunted gnome thief-catcher. Together, they'll try to track down a mysterious ring of mages who are able to strike from any distance without leaving a trace.
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THE VENETIAN HERETIC by Christian Cameron — April 24
Let's step away from the fantastical for a moment and into the realm of historical fiction. Christian Cameron is one of the modern masters of the historical fiction genre; he's written dozens of novels and carved out a name for himself as an expert when it comes to medieval combat. If you enjoyed The Last Kingdom or other similar books and aren't aware of Cameron's works, you're welcome for just finding your new favorite author.
Cameron's latest is The Venetian Heretic. It takes readers to Venice, Italy during the 17th century, when the Opera was first taking off and the city was bustling with the festivities of Carnevale. Onto this lively stage steps the swordsman Richard Hughes, who wants to enjoy a simple life but is thrust into a world of espionage and organized crime. Together with a secretive woman named Phillip de Chambray, Hughes will be forced to stave off shadowy forces which seek to destroy the burgeoning opera as well as Venice itself.
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ONE WAY WITCH by Nnedi Okorafor (She Who Knows #2) — April 29
One Way Witch is the second novella in Nnedi Okorafor's She Who Knows trilogy, which serves as both a prequel and sequel of sorts to her acclaimed novel Who Fears Death. The previous book dug into the story of Najeeba, the mother of Who Fears Death's protagonist Onyesonwu. We learned about Najeeba's relationship with magic, and how her fearless drive to chase her destiny upended longstanding norms in her village, ultimately leading her to delve ever deeper into the mysteries of the world.
One Way Witch continues her tale; even better, Okorafor has already confirmed that the third and final book in the trilogy is finished, so you can dive into this one knowing it won't be long before you see how it all wraps up for Najeema.
Okorafor has been on a hot streak of late; the first She Who Knows book was a very solid read, and her standalone speculative fiction novel Death of the Author was another banger that released earlier this year. Fans of Okorafor are feasting right now.
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WHISPER IN THE WIND by Luke Arnold (Fetch Phillips #4) — April 29
Luke Arnold is best known around these parts from his time on the Starz pirate drama Black Sails, where he played Long John Silver. But he also writes books, and those books are quite good. Arnold's Fetch Phillips series is an urban fantasy set in a secondary world, where the metropolis known as Sunder City is a melting pot of magical creatures, humans, politics and intrigue. Or at least, it used to have magic. By the time of Whisper in the Wind, things have changed, and its magic has run dry.
This suits the titular detective Fetch Phillips just fine, since he wants to retire from solving crimes and run a cafe where he can do a little bit of good without getting wrapped up in any more catastrophes. But you know how these things go for retired detectives in stylish noir stories: they never stay out of the game long. When a young boy shelters in Fetch's cafe and a string of grisly murders starts rocking Sunder City, he's drawn right back in. Here's hoping this time things go a little easier for Fetch, but I doubt it; he has a knack for getting into bad spots and having to find a way out by the skin of his teeth.
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That wraps up our list of new fantasy and science fiction books for the month April! Are there any we missed that you're looking forward to? Let us know in the comments! Happy Spring, and happy reading.
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