One of my reading goals for the year is to read more backlist books. Since becoming an active member of the online bookish community (and also being on several publishers’ mailing lists), I’ve found that my reading tends to become oversaturated with new releases. This has led to older works that I own being pushed lower and lower down my to-be-read list…

2024 is the year that I want to find balance in life, including where my reading is concerned. 

That being said, there are still some new titles being released this year that I intend to prioritize on the same level as the cobwebbed books currently occupying my shelves. I’ve curated a list of these books to share my excitement, and possibly put some of them on your radar!

As a reader of primarily fantasy books, my sincerest apologies for this list being heavily biased in that regard. 

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

I am by no means an avid reader of the romantasy genre, or books about fae. However, this book has been on my radar because of its stunning cover, the fact that it is written by a Black author and the LGBTQ+ representation. 

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

One of my favorite book reviewers (@zoranne_ on Instagram & TikTok) raves about this book and mentioned that the main character has a personality akin to Gregory House, MD. That is all I needed to know before immediately adding it to my TBR (to-be-read list). This author also wrote the Foundryside series, which is a fantasy series that I have heard exceptional things about and have  been wanting to get into for years! I look forward to reading both of these works in the upcoming months. 

The Silverblood Promise by James Logan

This is a debut fantasy novel marketed as being great for fans of Joe Abercrombie and Scott Lynch. In this story we follow, Lukan, an academic dropout who has been excommunicated from his family. After the suspicious death of his father, Lukan sets out on an investigative journey which brings him to the fabled city of Saphrona where money talks and dark secrets are unraveled.

A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

I read the first book in Danielle L. Jensen’s The Bridge Kingdom series a few years ago, and while I did not love the plot, I did enjoy her writing style and want to revisit and complete the series along with some more of her works. This new release features a disgruntled wife who dreams of becoming a warrior and “… putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back” … SIGN ME UP IMMEDIATELY! There seems to also be a bit of a forbidden romance in this one, which I know romantasy lovers will absolutely eat up!

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

Phenderson has become an auto-buy author of mine since reading A Master of Djinn and his debut middle grade novel, Abeni’s Song. This latest novella follows an assassin in a world of gods where she must carry out every assigned hit, or face a fate worse than death.

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

This dystopian novel set in a future (dark) Botswana explores life in a society where men control women’s bodies (literally). Our main character, Nelah’s life is disrupted when she is involved in a hit-and-run accident, leading to her having to do the unthinkable in order to avoid sentencing. Things really begin to take off when the victim’s ghost starts taking revenge on everyone Nelah holds dear, propelling her into a journey that requires dismantling this patriarchal society’s structure. 

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan

Blurbed as the perfect read for fans of Jade City and The Bone Shard Daughter, this story has an interesting caste system where the fathomfolk (sirens, sea witches, kelpies and kappas) live in the polluted waters below human cities. We follow three protagonists in what appears to be a story filled with political intrigue as the main characters, each with varying stakes, fight for the rights of the fathomfolk. And there is an aristocratic water dragon!

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

If you have not read Ace of Spades by this author, what are you doing? Ace of Spades is the perfect young adult psychological thriller featuring one of my favorite characters of all time, Chiamaka Adebayo. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is another auto-buy author of mine, and Where Sleeping Girls Lie is her latest mystery novel about the dark secrets one girl uncovers at a prestigious boarding school after the death of a schoolmate. 

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

As a Caribbean-born fantasy reader, this book immediately piqued my interest. I am currently reading an advanced copy from the publisher, and enjoying it so far. So Let Them Born is a Jamaican-inspired fantasy novel with a unique magic system (the main characters can channel the power of the gods), very Caribbean-esque worldbuilding… and DRAGONS! I am hopeful that this young adult debut novel will give us Caribbean readers everything that we need from the fantasy genre!

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

Set in a reimagined 15th Century West Africa, we follow Òdòdó, who is abducted by a warrior king who has chosen her to be his wife. This is blurbed as a “loose” Persephone retelling where our main character must ultimately defy her new husband in order to sway the court in her favour and save her own life.

Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

I think it is fair to say that 2024 will be the year that I give the romantasy subgenre of fantasy another chance. In Ana’s debut novel, we meet Lore, a human girl who lives in a forest “prison” governed and surrounded by the fae. When devastation strikes her village, she is forced to leave her home behind to work in an enchanted library, overseen by said fae. During her time working in the library, she becomes entangled with two fae males (is that a love triangle brewing?) and must navigate her relationship with them both in order to survive. As you can tell by the stunning cover, our characters are Black and I am here for every bit of it!

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

Black girls using illegal love potions to enslave D.C’s most influential political figures? I am both speechless and intrigued. This young adult urban fantasy novel is both stunning in appearance and concept, and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into it! 

A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

At this point, Tia Williams is a household name and one of the few romance authors whose books I will always reach for. This new release has a modern Harlem Renaissance vibe and follows a quirky millennial who leaves behind her wealthy family in Atlanta to pursue her dreams of opening a flower shop in New York City!

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

Mirrored Heaves is one of the epic fantasy releases that I am most excited for this year! This conclusion to the Between Earth & Sky series was scheduled for release in 2023, but the publication date was pushed back to June of this year, and I am absolutely beside myself with impatience. If you have not read this series by Rebecca Roanhorse, you have some time to catch up before Mirrored Heavens is on shelves. This story is a Pre-Columbian Americas inspired epic tale that is one of my favorite series, and one that I always recommend. It is also possibly the only fantasy series where I actually root for the bad guy!

Baby X by Kira Peikoff

I don’t usually read thrillers, but the synopsis for this one was too good for me to not give it a second glance. Baby X is a dystopian-type novel set in a not-so-distant future United States where celebrities’ DNA can be used to create gametes, and subsequent children, unknowingly. Our protagonist (Trace) is a famous singer who has been constantly targeted – so much so that he has to hire a bio-security guard for protection. Of course this story wouldn’t be thrilling if, despite their best efforts, a third party didn’t show up with a child claiming that Trace is the father…

Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

 Children of Blood and Bone was a canon event that opened the door to BLACK (specifically African-inspired) young adult fantasy for me. Several years after her debut, Tomi Adeyemi is finally blessing us with the conclusion to this trilogy, and I will be devouring every page. Also, as seems to be the theme with a lot of the books on this list, get into this cover!

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings

If you are an avid consumer of Booktube content like I am, Hayley should be no stranger to you. This Ravenous Fate is her debut, vampire-y, sapphic, enemies-to-lovers story set in Jazz Age Harlem. We follow two Black mains (one a once-human vampire and one a vampire hunter) who were once friends but are now sworn enemies. Circumstances have led to them working with each other to investigate murders associated with a cure for the vampirism in this world. Oh, and they start falling for each other!

The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna

In this stunning debut novel, our main character Nadine, is a jinn tasked with telling the stories of the dead by consuming seeds that hold their souls. Only after their stories are told can the dead transition to the afterlife. However, the plot takes off when Nadine no longer has access to these seeds and comes to find out that the god of Death wants to replace her with her daughter. This is blurbed as a story that centres “… a mother’s struggle to save her only daughter.”

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

The blurb for this debut gave me Peter-Parker-Post-Uncle-Ben energy, and I am here for it! Aihui Ying dreams of becoming an engineer, just like her father. Her dreams are shattered when she witnesses his murder, letting the killer slip out of reach (see what I mean?). Her father leaves behind a journal and a jade penchant and Aihui Ying is determined to use these to avenge his death. This is a Mulan-inspired story that definitely has all of my attention!

Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan

I support women’s rights, and women’s wrongs — and in Women of Good Fortune, there is a lot of wrongdoing. For her entire life, Lulu has been taught that money will solve all her problems. When Shanghai’s most eligible bachelor proposes to her, this should be everything she’s ever dreamed of, right? Lulu wants the man without the money, so she schemes with her friends to steal all of the cash gifts on her wedding day (and ride off into the sunset together). Absolutely brilliant!

The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson

The Principle of Moments has been coined as “unmissable for fans of the spacefaring found family of Becky Chambers, the alternate London of V. E. Schwab, and the virtuosic climate-craft of N. K. Jemisin”, and if that isn’t some amazing PR, I don’t know what is. This is a time-traveling space opera told from the dual perspective of two protagonists who originate from different timelines, and whose paths cross when they must travel through space after a prophecy is awakened.

When I Think of You by Myah Ariel

A second-chance romance between an aspiring movie-maker and her director ex, this debut sounds like my perfect non-fantasy read. When our main characters’ paths cross after seven years, they must learn how to trust each other again as Hollywood scandal and politics threaten to sink their budding relationship and her new career path. 

The Lord of Demons by Evan Winter

Am I being too optimistic here? Evan Winter gave us the first book in The Burning, followed it up with the sequel, and then left us parched? If you have not read The Rage of Dragons or The Fires of Vengeance, this is your chance to dive into this series before this last book is released — HOPEFULLY this year. The Rage of Dragons has been likened to an ‘African-inspired Game of Thrones‘ in bookish circles, and is one of my favourite series of all time!

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

I started my Brandon Sanderson journey in 2023, and I am very excited to get into his most popular (and chunkiest) series, The Stormlight Archive in 2024. This fifth book will be the final instalment in the first era of this series and I’m planning on reading and completing the first four books in time for the publication date of this one!