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Summer’s in full swing, and you know what that means: time to break out the beach reads! 2023 has been a banger of a year for science fiction and fantasy books. But one can never have too much to read!
July’s book list features cyberpunk futures and mind-bending space adventures; nautical fantasies and thieves stalking dark streets; trilogy enders and debuts. In terms of variety, it’s a pretty great month. Let’s get into it without further adieu, and touch on 13 books we’re looking forward to that will be out in the world this month!
A WITCH’S SIN by Daniel B. Greene (Neon Ghosts #1) — July 4
There’s a pretty good chance that if you know who Daniel Greene is, it’s from his sensational YouTube channel where he covers weekly fantasy news, among other things. Well, he writes books, too! Following the release of his first two Lawful Times books, Greene is starting out on a new adventure with A Witch’s Sin, the first novel in a cyberpunk series titled Neon Ghosts.
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Bruised, stoned, and still adjusting to her latest wear implants, apprentice enforcer Taya Mint plunges into the darkest depths of Megastructure Seven Zero Three, challenging everything she thought she knew about life within the walls she has never stepped beyond. With only one assignment left to earn her full license, Taya finally stands a chance to rebuild a life wounded by grief. But soon she discovers the kidnapping she’s investigating is just a piece of a puzzle, one that leads to grisly death and the greedy heart of power within the structure. When evidence points to a supernatural threat as the culprit, Taya finds herself needing to rely on cold-blooded allies just to survive the hell that is Seven Zero Three.
In order to save an innocent life in a world polluted by zealots, Taya will have to learn just how much it costs to face the monsters that occupy humanity’s artificial Eden.
SONS OF DARKNESS by Gourav Mohanty (The Raag of Rta #1) — July 6
Author Gourav Mohanty’s debut novel Sons of Darkness is a reimagining of the Indian epic The Mahabarata but with a tone and flavor reminiscent of dark fantasy stories like George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire or Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law. It’s being heralded as “India’s first grimdark fantasy series.”
The idea of a series with brutal grimdark trappings set against Indian myth and culture is extremely intriguing. Nothing says summer like reading about a bunch of morally dubious people literally stabbing each other in the back!
Bled dry by violent confrontations with the Magadhan Empire, the Mathuran Republic simmers on the brink of oblivion. Senator Krishna and his third wife Satyabhama have put their plans in motion, both within and beyond the Republic’s blood-soaked borders, to protect it from total annihilation.
But they are soon to discover that neither gold nor alliances last forever – and that they are not the only players on the board.
Mati, Pirate-Princess of Kalinga, has decided to mend her ways and become a good wife. But old habits die hard, especially when one habitually uses murder to settle old scores.
Brooding and beautiful Karna hopes to bury his brutal past, but finds that destiny is a miser when it comes to granting second chances.
Hero-turned-torturer Shakuni limps through a path of daggers. Meanwhile, his foes and woes multiply, leaving little time for vengeance.
Their lives are about to become yet more difficult, as a cast of sinister queens, naive kings, pious assassins and ravenous priests are converging where the Son of Darkness is prophesied to rise… even as forgotten Gods prepare to play their hand.
*Sons of Darkness is releasing in ebook on July 6 in the US. The physical release will follow in January 2024.
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EBONY GATE by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle (The Phoenix Hoard #1) — July 11
Ebony Gate is the latest novel from writing duo Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle, and it kicks off their new urban fantasy series The Phoenix Hoard. This book was pitched as female John Wick with dragon magic, and if that’s not an irresistible description I don’t know what is. It follows Emiko Soong, a retired assassin who’s forced to come back to the game in order to appease a dark god. Let’s just hope no one has to kill her dog for her to start kicking ass.
Emiko Soong belongs to one of the eight premier magical families of the world. But Emiko never needed any magic. Because she is the Blade of the Soong Clan. Or was. Until she’s drenched in blood in the middle of a market in China, surrounded by bodies and the scent of blood and human waste as a lethal perfume.
The Butcher of Beijing now lives a quiet life in San Francisco, importing antiques. But when a shinigami, a god of death itself, calls in a family blood debt, Emiko must recover the Ebony Gate that holds back the hungry ghosts of the Yomi underworld. Or forfeit her soul as the anchor.
What’s a retired assassin to do but save the City by the Bay from an army of the dead?
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THE TRAITOR by Anthony Ryan (The Covenant of Steel #3) — July 11
July will also mark the end of the road for Anthony Ryan’s The Covenant of Steel with the release of the final volume in the trilogy, The Traitor. The first novel in the series, The Pariah, saw outlaw Alwyn Scribe go on a winding quest for revenge that led him to cross paths with Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman whose visions of a coming apocalypse heralded dark days ahead. Based on the description for The Traitor, it sounds like the relationship between Alwyn and Evadine is going to be more complicated than ever in the story’s final chapter, with no guarantees of a happy ending for anyone.
It’s been a long journey for Alwyn Scribe. Born a bastard and raised an outlaw, he’s now a knight and the most trusted advisor to Lady Evadine Courlain. Together they’ve won countless battles and helped to bring order to a fractured kingdom. Yet Evadine is not the woman Alwyn once knew. As puritanical fury increasingly replaces her benevolent faith, Alwyn begins to question what her true motives really are. As the kingdom braces itself for one final battle, Alwyn’s conscience fights its own war with his heart. Now, more than ever, he must decide whose side he’s really on.
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DEFIANT by Michael R. Miller (Songs of Chaos #3) — July 13
If you’ve been jonesing for a bit of dragonriding fantasy adventure, author Michael R. Miller’s Songs of Chaos has you covered. There are reflections of series like Christopher Paolini’s Eragon and Anne McCaffrey’s Pern in Miller’s tale, but with a very unique spin. In the first novel of the series, teenager Holt Cook discovers that adult dragons kill off younger dragons they consider weak; after discovering a blind dragon slated to suffer this grisly fate, Holt saves it and his life is forever changed as he bonds with the hatchling.
Defiant is the third book in Songs of Chaos, and will continue the story of Holt and his blind dragon Ash. If this is a series that peaks your interest, it’s also worth noting that the series opener Ascendant is free to read this month if you have an Amazon Prime subscription.
The great powers are stirring, and Holt and Ash are ready to return to the fight.
A summons from the Life Elder sets them on a perilous mission, leading to steaming jungles and blistering islands where ancient secrets will challenge everything they know of magic and dragons.
Talia, the Red Queen, is beset on all sides by pirate raiders and marauding mercenaries. Empress Skadi has abandoned her, battling uprisings in her own lands. As the noose tightens on Feorlen, Talia faces a difficult choice: let her people suffer or turn her powers against mortal foes?
Osric Agravain has found hope with his newly bonded black dragon, but some wounds run deeper than flesh and bone. Along the Fallow Frontier, he seeks the inner peace that has long eluded him.
And within the sanctum at Falcaer, Paragon Adaskar is struggling to unite the fracturing riders. If he fails, ruinous chaos will break across the world.
For when Elders and Paragons quarrel, kingdoms will fall.
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DARK WATER DAUGHTER by H.M. Long (The Winter Sea #1) — July 18
Dark Water Daughter marks the start of a new series from The Four Pillars author H.M. Long. It’s a nautical fantasy set on dangerous seas! The Winter Sea series is full of pirates and magical intrigue; Dark Water Daughter follows a woman capable of great magic who is trying to escape a dangerous pirate lord, and a naval officer brought to the limits of sanity on a quest to clear his name. Pirate fantasies can be a total blast, and it sounds like Dark Water Daughter will continue that grand tradition.
Mary Firth is a Stormsinger: a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas. Faced with servitude to pirate lord Silvanus Lirr, Mary offers her skills to his arch-rival in exchange for protection – and, more importantly, his help sending Lirr to a watery grave. But her new ally has a vendetta of his own, and Mary’s dreams are dark and full of ghistings, spectral creatures who inhabit the ancient forests of her homeland and the figureheads of ships.
Samuel Rosser is a disgraced naval officer serving aboard The Hart, an infamous privateer commissioned to bring Lirr to justice. He will stop at nothing to capture Lirr, restore his good name and reclaim the only thing that stands between himself and madness: a talisman stolen by Mary.
Finally, driven into the eternal ice at the limits of their world, Mary and Samuel must choose their loyalties and battle forces older and more powerful than the pirates who would make them slaves.
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ETHERA GRAVE by Essa Hansen (The Graven #3) — July 18
Essa Hansen’s Graven trilogy is one of the most imaginative, mind-bending space operas to come out in recent years, and it’s coming to an end this month in Ethera Grave. Caiden has come a long way since being stranded on a planet full of bloodthirsty lion creatures called Nophek back in Nophek Gloss; now, the fate of the entire multiverse hangs on what he, his sentient starship Azura, and his found family of spacefarers do next.
Book two in Hansen’s series, Azura Ghost, left off with a pretty huge cliffhanger for Caiden and company. Allegiances have shifted, and the stakes are colossally high. This is a book we’re equal parts anticipating and dreading; we need to know how Caiden’s story ends, but also don’t want it to be over. If the previous novel is anything to judge by, Ethera Grave is going to be an epic finale.
Caiden has finally been reunited with his sister Leta after ten years on the run with his unique starship and managed to convince his longtime enemy—Threi—to join his side. But the multiverse isn’t safe yet. Threi’s sister is still the most powerful being in existence. And she still wants to collapse their beautiful, diverse, constellation of multiverses down to one.
Now, Caiden and his makeshift family carry the fate of all the worlds in their hands.
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BLADE OF DREAM by Daniel Abraham (The Kithamar Trilogy #2) — July 18
Daniel Abraham is one of the co-writers of The Expanse and a prolific fantasy author. This month he’ll be releasing the second novel in his Kithamar Trilogy, Blade of Dream.
Kithamar is a bit different from stand fantasy series; each volume covers the same particularly turbulent year in the metropolis of Kithamar from a different perspective. The first book, Age of Ash, was the story of Alys, a street thief who is drawn into a web of intrigue. It was an engrossing read with some major twists and turns; you can read our review here.
We’ll return to Kithamar in Blade of Dream, where we’ll see that fateful year in the city from another angle.
Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories endure.
This is Garreth’s.
Garreth Left is heir to one of Kithamar’s most prominent merchant families. The path of his life was paved long before he was born. Learn the family trade, marry to secure wealthy in-laws, and inherit the business when the time is right. But to Garreth, a life chosen for him is no life at all.
In one night, a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger changes everything. He falls in love with a woman whose name he doesn’t even know, and he will do anything to find her again. His search leads him down corridors and alleys that are best left unexplored, where ancient gods hide in the shadows, and every deal made has a dangerous edge.
The path that Garreth chooses will change the course of not only those he loves, but the entire future of Kithamar’s citizens.
In Kithamar, every story matters — and the fate of the city is woven from them all.
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THE JASAD HEIR by Sara Hashem (The Scorched Throne #1) — July 18
The Jasad Heir is the debut novel from Sara Hashem, an Egyptian-inspired fantasy story and the first installment in Hashem’s The Scorched Throne series. That alone is enough to pique my interest, because who doesn’t want more Egyptian-inspired fantasy? But the story itself also sounds riveting. It follows a princess of a deposed kingdom who is drawn out of hiding when her magic is exposed to her worst enemy.
Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic was outlawed. Its royal family murdered. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe. The Heir of Jasad escaped the massacre, and she intends to stay hidden, especially from the armies of Nizahl that continue to hunt her people.
But a moment of anger changes everything. When Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, Sylvia accidentally reveals her magic—and captures his attention. Now Sylvia’s forced to make a deal with her greatest enemy: Help him hunt the rebels in exchange for her life.
A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity, even as hatred shifts into something more between the Heirs. And as the tides change around her, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she abandoned.
The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.
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IRL by E. A. Field — July 18
Gaming and reading go hand-in-hand as two of our favorite nerdy activities, but why keep them separate? E.A. Field’s book IRL is a zombie apocalypse story that sees two online gaming buddies team up in real life to survive the collapse. With shades of stories like The Last of Us, conspiracies and gaming references aplenty, IRL sounds like a fun romp with a lot of heart. Which is harder: surviving a zombie plague or talking to your online friends in real life?
Something is wrong in Bunker, Illinois.
Nora Grace Moon thought her toughest challenge this semester would be managing her OCD, but when her deceased roommate turns up as a reanimated corpse, her world starts to collapse.
When her uncle sends her a cryptic message, Nora realizes it must be a call for help. She reaches out to fellow gamer Wesley for advice, a US Marshal with real-life skills for tactical survival, not just in-game. They venture out into a world that is growing more and more deadly by the moment—not only are the undead spreading, but other humans are taking advantage of the societal breakdown. And unknown to Nora and Wesley, they have been targeted by an ancient archeological society who will stop at nothing until they have what Nora has: an artifact that will unleash a new world order of the undead.
IRL is a paranormal thriller about leaving the online world and dealing with things “In Real Life.”
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IMMORTAL LONGINGS by Chloe Gong (Flesh and False Gods #1) — July 18
While author Chloe Gong is best known for her YA novels, including the bestselling These Violent Delights, this month she’ll be making her adult epic fantasy debut with Immortal Longings, the first volume in a new series called Flesh and False Gods. Drawing inspiration from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, Immortal Longings is a tale of political intrigue, romance, and danger. Even from the back-of-book description alone, it’s clear that Immortal Longings takes place in a deeply fleshed out fantasy world, which is exactly the sort of thing that we like to lose ourselves in for days at a time on summer vacation.
Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches.
Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets her opportunity at last to kill him.
Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.
Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom.
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THE SUN AND THE VOID by Gabriela Romero Lacruz (The Warring Gods #1) — July 25
Gabriela Romera Lacruz’s debut novel The Sun and the Void is a fantasy inspired by the history and folklore of colonial South America. Publisher’s Weekly has called this book a “spell-binding sapphic epic fantasy,” so in addition to the forbidden magic and lore, we also get a heavy dose of romance, intrigue, and family drama. It’s the first installment in Romero Lacruz’s The Warring Gods trilogy.
The Sun and the Void also happens to have a variety of jaw-droppingly beautiful print editions, so it’ll look great on the bookshelf!
Reina is desperate.
Stuck on the edges of society, Reina’s only hope lies in an invitation from a grandmother she’s never met. But the journey to her is dangerous, and prayer can’t always avert disaster.
Attacked by creatures that stalk the mountains, Reina is on the verge of death until her grandmother, a dark sorceress, intervenes. Now dependent on the Doña’s magic for her life, Reina will do anything to earn—and keep—her favor. Even the bidding of an ancient god who whispers to her at night.
Eva Kesaré is unwanted.
Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family’s shame. She tries to be the perfect daughter, but Eva is hiding a secret: Magic calls to her.
Eva knows she should fight the temptation. Magic is the sign of the dark god, and using it is punishable by death. Yet it’s hard to ignore power when it has always been denied you. Eva is walking a dangerous path. And in the end, she’ll become something she never imagined.
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THICK AS THIEVES by M.J. Kuhn (Thieves Duology #2) — July 25
We end with thieves, which is never the wrong choice. Author M.J. Kuhn’s Among Thieves introduced readers to the kingdoms of Thamorr and to Ryia Cautella, an assassin known as the Butcher of Carrowwick. That novel saw Ryia team up with a mismatched group of thieves and other unsavory types for a highly dangerous mission. Follow-up Thick as Thieves will explore whether Ryia can get the band back together to deal with the consequences of their last big job.
Kuhn’s Thieves books have undertones reminiscent of Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora, so if you’ve been missing spending time in a fantasy criminal underworld, it’s a great fit. Plus, Thick as Thieves is the second and concluding book in Kuhn’s Thieves Duology, which means you can now devour the entire story.
Ryia Cautella, a.k.a. the Butcher of Carrowwick, and her motley crew have succeeded in the ultimate heist…with the most dire possible consequences. A terrifyingly powerful tool has fallen into the hands of Callum Clem, the criminal leader of the Saints, who was already one of the most dangerous men alive. With the newfound ability to force magic-wielding Adepts to his will, he is unstoppable.
With their group scattered throughout the five kingdoms of Thamorr—and not all on the same side of the fight—things seem hopeless. But can Ryia get the gang back together for one last job? Or will chess-worthy power plays and shifting loyalties change Thamorr as they know it?
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And thus concludes this month’s round-up of new fantasy and science fiction book releases! What books will you be reading in July? Let us know in the comments!
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