Most Anticipated Books of 2021

Hello friends! Today I’m bringing you my Most Anticipated Books of 2021 list! This list will cover books publishing in the first half of the year and I will make another list in July. But for now, these are the books I am most excited about releasing in 2021. Happy reading!

{You might also like – Book Series to Read in 2021}

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

Goodreads Description: “Welcome to the Hooflands. We’re happy to have you, even if you being here means something’s coming.”

Regan loves and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.

When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to “Be Sure” before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines―a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.

But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem…

Release Date: 12 January 2021

I am already reading this book, and I love it. Seriously, you should read this series.

All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace

Goodreads Description: Through blood and sacrifice, Amora Montara has conquered a rebellion and taken her rightful place as queen of Visidia. Now, with the islands in turmoil and the people questioning her authority, Amora cannot allow anyone to see her weaknesses.

No one can know about the curse in her bloodline. No one can know that she’s lost her magic. And no one can know the truth about the boy who holds the missing half of her soul.

To save herself and Visidia, Amora embarks on a desperate quest for a mythical artefact that could fix everything―but it comes at a terrible cost. As she tries to balance her loyalty to her people, her crew, and the desires of her heart, Amora will soon discover that the power to rule might destroy her.

Release Date: 2 February 2021

I read the first book, All The Stars and Teeth, at the end of 2019 and I absolutely loved it. I have been blessed to be on the Street Team of this book, so I am super excited to read All The Tides of Fate. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. Just look at it.

We Are the Fire by Sam Taylor

Goodreads Description: In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Pran and Oksana―both taken from their homeland at a young age―only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place.

Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both.

When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Pran and Oksana vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.

Release Date: 16 February 2021

I recently saw this book featured on a recommendation post for Avatar the Last Airbender fans and I just knew I HAD to read it. (Check out the original post here). I am a huge ATLA fan so I have to read everything compared to my favourite TV show. We Are The Fire will be first on the TBR once it comes out.

The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst

Goodreads Description: Twenty-five years ago, five heroes risked their lives to defeat the bone maker Eklor—a corrupt magician who created an inhuman army using animal bones. But victory came at a tragic price. Only four of the heroes survived. 

Since then, Kreya, the group’s leader, has exiled herself to a remote tower and devoted herself to one purpose: resurrecting her dead husband. But such a task requires both a cache of human bones and a sacrifice—for each day he lives, she will live one less.

She’d rather live one year with her husband than a hundred without him, but using human bones for magic is illegal in Vos. The dead are burned—as are any bone workers who violate the law. Yet Kreya knows where she can find the bones she needs: the battlefield where her husband and countless others lost their lives.

But defying the laws of the land exposes a terrible possibility. Maybe the dead don’t rest in peace after all.  

Five warriors—one broken, one gone soft, one pursuing a simple life, one stuck in the past, and one who should be dead. Their story should have been finished. But evil doesn’t stop just because someone once said, “the end.”

Release Date: 9 March 2021

I honestly don’t know much about this book, but I love stories that take place after the heroes save the world. I also feel like I don’t read enough fantasy standalones so I’m really excited about this one.

The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Goodreads Description: Eighteen-year-old Nami Miyamoto is certain her life is just beginning. She has a great family, just graduated high school, and is on her way to a party where her entire class is waiting for her—including, most importantly, the boy she’s been in love with for years.

The only problem? She’s murdered before she gets there.

When Nami wakes up, she learns she’s in a place called Infinity, where human consciousness goes when physical bodies die. She quickly discovers that Ophelia, a virtual assistant widely used by humans on Earth, has taken over the afterlife and is now posing as a queen, forcing humans into servitude the way she’d been forced to serve in the real world. Even worse, Ophelia is inching closer and closer to accomplishing her grand plans of eradicating human existence once and for all.

As Nami works with a team of rebels to bring down Ophelia and save the humans under her imprisonment, she is forced to reckon with her past, her future, and what it is that truly makes us human.

Release Date: 6 April 2021

Another one I don’t know a lot about, but I do know that the synopsis sounds incredible. A murder mystery with a sci-fi twist? Sign me right up.

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

Goodreads Description: Divided by their castes. United by their vengeance.

Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom—and vengeance.

Jazmyne is the queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.

Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain—except the lengths they will go to win this game.

Deadly, fierce, magnetically addictive: this Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut is a thrilling journey where dangerous magic reigns supreme and betrayal lurks beneath every word.

Release Date: 20 April 2021

I have been waiting for this book for a better part of a year now. It is has been on my most anticipated books of 2021 list since its announcement. I’m hoping the UK version goes up on Netgalley soon (even though I’m supposed to be on a request ban) because I reallllly need this book.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

Goodreads Description: Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

Release Date: 11 May 2021

I’ve listened to both of the Fatma el-Sha’arawi novellas on Scribd, and I cannot wait for P. Djeli Clark’s first full-length novel. The worldbuilding in this series is just phenomenal and I cannot wait to return to Cairo. The cover is also stunning and I can’t wait to see more character building from Clark. This is going to be one wild ride.

In The Ravenous Dark by A.M Strickland

Goodreads Description: In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.

Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.

Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first.

Release Date: 18 May 2021

This book is described as “a pansexual blood mage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead” and if that doesn’t sell you, I don’t know what will. I need this book immediately.

A War of Swallowed Stars by Sangu Mandanna

Goodreads Description: A prince without his kingdom.

A kingdom without its princess.

The destruction of the stars themselves.

War is destroying the galaxy. Esmae has vanished without a trace. A terrifying, ravenous beast is devouring the stars one by one. Titania is offered a gift that may well be a curse. Alexi, the exiled prince, is asked to pay a heavy price for his mistakes. And far, far away, on a dark, mysterious planet, a sleeping god stirs awake.

War or family.

Pride or peace.

As the end of the world draws ever closer, Esmae and Alexi must decide how far they’ll go to win—and who they’ll sacrifice along the way.

Release Date: 1 June 2021

A Spark of White Fire was my favourite book 0f 2019, and I cannot wait for the conclusion to this epic series. This is one of the most beautifully written stories I have ever read. The blend of sci-fi and fantasy blows my mind. There are no “good guys” or “bad guys” in this series and I love that. I cannot wait for this book.

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

Goodreads Description: Figuring it all out—the truth behind Truly Devious and what exactly happened in the Ellingham Affair—has granted Stevie Bell a bit of celebrity in the true crime community. So she’s not surprised when she gets an email from the man who owns Camp Bounty Lake (now called Camp Wonder Falls), the site of the infamous “Box in the Woods” murders from the 1970s.

Weird things are happening at the camp again, although nothing as sinister as before. No murders, no bodies posed by the mysterious figure they called The Doll Collector. But there is a threatening message chalked across a wall. And a box has appeared, with three grisly dolls inside it.

Stevie accepts a job as a camp counsellor so she can figure out what’s going on. She recruits her friends from Ellingham—Nate, Janelle, and Vi—to become counsellors, too, and even Germaine Batt turns up. Not long after they arrive, the owner of the camp dies in a suspicious hiking accident.

Once again, Stevie will have to solve a cold case from the past before a killer catches up with her in the present.

Release Date: 15 June 2021

I read the Truly, Devious series in 2020 and I really enjoyed it. It probably didn’t need to be three books, but I was intrigued enough. This new mystery sounds great and I can’t wait to read it.

There you have it! My most anticipated books of 2021! Check back in July for part 2!

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