My Anticipated Releases for Fall 2021

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson | Released October 5th
Vespertine officially marks our first book on the last list of the year! It comes out today, and it is written by the author of Sorcery of Thorns. I read Sorcery of Thorns last year, and it ended up being one of my absolute favorite YA standalones. I’m really looking forward to reading more from Rogerson, and the paranormal aspects sound especially perfect for the upcoming Halloween season.

The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker | Released October 12th
I’ve been really loving books inspired by mythology and folklore lately, and this one piqued my interest. It is inspired by Japanese folklore and features a “reaper” who has been collecting souls from the London streets for centuries. There’s a morally gray main character, which I am absolutely here for, and it’s also the first of a duology, which I’ve strangely been having good luck with.

City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn | Releasing October 19th
I have been promising myself to read more sci-fi lately to break out of my fantasy + contemporary romance reading spree, so I really wanted to add this one to my TBR! It features an heiress to a powerful tech empire who wants to save her sister from being “reprogrammed” against her father’s wishes and the bounty hunter she comes across trying to catch her. I really love the LGBT representation in here too, with the MC being bisexual.

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen | Releasing October 19th
Next up, we have a retelling of “The Goose Girl,” and it sounds like a nice break from the huge spree of Beauty and the Beast ones out there. I love that the book focuses on the antagonist of the original story, and I will forever be a fan of ensemble casts (maybe we’ll get a bit of found family)! It focuses on the MC Vanja, who lives a double life of a princess and a jewel thief after she steals the life of Princess Gisele. A god curses her for her greed, and she must work with others to break it in just two weeks.

Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco | Releasing October 26th
AHHH it’s been a long, long year, but Kingdom of the Cursed is *finally* releasing in just a few weeks. I try not to include sequels on this list for people who haven’t read the firsts in the series, but I had to feature this one. I’ve been missing Emilia and Prince of Wrath so much, and I’m especially desperate to see what happens next after the cliffhanger of the previous book. Plus, the genre changed from YA to NA, so we’ll have to see what that’s about.

Gilded by Marissa Meyer | Releasing November 2nd
Of course Gilded is going to be on this list because of how much I enjoyed The Lunar Chronicles! I’m a big fan of Marissa Meyer’s retellings, and I am excited to see what she does with Rumpelstiltskin in this one. It’s a story I really enjoy, but never see many retellings of. I’ve heard that this is a darker, more atmospheric retelling, which is also perfect for this time of the year. Add in a slow-burn romance, and you’ve got everything I want in a fantasy book.

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman | Releasing November 9th
I’ve heard that this book is The Hunger Games with evil magic, which sold me. Every generation, seven families nominate someone to compete in a tournament to the death. The winner’s family receives exclusive control over the powerful city’s magic supply. There’s hate to love romance in this too and I will do literally anything for some good sexual tension.

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen | Releasing November 9th
Here, we have another debut! It has a stunning cover with the prettiest artwork and coloring as an added bonus. It is marketed as Children of Blood and Bone meets The Little Mermaid, and I am really looking forward to see how the author intertwines West African mythology with mermaids. This book is about a girl who collects the souls of those who die at sea saving a boy thrown overboard, against an ancient decree. She must journey to make amends with danger at every turn.

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier | Releasing November 9th
I will say that I do not have the best luck with historical fantasy/fiction, so I’m hoping that this book will break my unlucky streak! There’s also some mystery aspects, which I am really excited for because I am horrible at seeing things coming, making the surprise really good. Anyways, this one is about engineer’s apprentice and a historian drawn into the search of an assassin targeting everyone near the queen, who work to discover a terrible secret along the way.

Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong | Releasing November 16th
This list would never be complete without Our Violent Ends. I read an ARC of this a few months ago and I will not stop preaching to everyone about HOW GOOD IT IS. It’s one of my favorite books of the year and a rare five star read of mine. There’s forbidden lovers to enemies to lovers, sexual tension with knives, and a fast-paced plot with political intrigue. This book will rip your heart out and break you into a million pieces. But, you’ll be semi-thankful because it’s really good!

Fools In Love: Fresh Twists on Romantic Tales Edited by by Rebecca Podos and Ashley Herring Blake| Releasing December 7nd
It looks like this is going to be the month for contemporary romances, because that is almost everything I have on my list. First up, we have such a cute, light romance anthology with 15 great authors including Natasha Ngan who wrote Girls of Paper and Fire. There’s a reimagination for so many popular tropes that you’re going to find something you connect with.

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling | Releasing December 7th
In this book, we have a girl cursed with experiencing how someone will die with her touch. After she sees a teachers imminent death, she works with a vampire to stop it, especially after predicting but failing to save her brother from dying. To solve the murder mystery, the two must learn to work together. I really love how much representation is in this book, with people of color, non-binary characters, and the main romance being sapphic.

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich | Releasing December 7th
I read Gonzales’s Only Mostly Devastated last year and thought it was really cute, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this one goes! It features both Ruben and Zach in the boy band, Saturday, who have garnered national fame. Their friendship slowly develops in a romance, but they struggle with telling their fans and living freely without the support of their management team.

How Not to Fall in Love by Jacqueline Firkins | Releasing December 21st
This book features a “hardened cynic” and a “hopeless romantic” falling in love, and that description literally awakened something in me. It’s about Harper who works at a wedding shop, who doesn’t believe in romance after seeing thousands of fights over wedding plans and Theo, who watches rom-coms dreams of happily-ever-afters. Harper agrees to give Theo lessons on how not to fall in love, (get it, the title) but she finds herself having feelings for him in the process.

Here’s to Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera | Releasing December 7th
Finally, we have our last book of the list! I haven’t actually read What if It’s Us yet, but let’s pretend I did because this sounds really good. After Ben and Arthur try to move on from their past together, they run into each other just two years later. Despite their current livelihoods of college, internships, and new boyfriends, they struggle with feelings for each other. Both authors wrote books I really loved, and I am definitely going to try to get to the first book in this series before this one comes out.