There are a lot of amazing books being released next year, but I have managed to narrow down all the ones I am excited about to a list of ten! So these are the books I am most looking forward to that are being released in 2023. These release dates are from Goodreads and they could change.
1. The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
Expected publication 3rd January 2023
Elfhame #4, The Stolen Heir Duology #1
Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.
Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.
Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.
- Goodreads.
I really loved The Folk of the Air series, it's now one of my favourites, so I am very intrigued about this continuation and what the future will hold for the characters!
2. A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Expected publication 28th February 2023
The Roots of Chaos #0
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.
To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.
When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.
- Goodreads.
The Priory of the Orange Tree was such an impressive and creative epic fantasy novel, I know this prequel will be just as, if not more, fascinating to dive into.
3. Daughter of Winter and Twilight by Helen Corcoran
Expected publication September 2023
Queen of Coin and Whispers #2
Daughter of Winter and Twilight, sequel to Queen of Coin and Whispers, which picks up fourteen years after the original, with a princess navigating her place in a politically incendiary realm, where the bonds of history and family grow increasingly frayed, especially when old magic returns to the land.
- Goodreads.
I really loved Queen of Coin and Whispers and thought it was such a unique and lovely story, so I was of course very excited when I found out there was going to be a sequel! I'm looking forward to having more details about what will happen in this book and finding out what the cover will look like.
4. Mysteries of Thorn Manner by Margaret Rogerson
Expected publication 17th January 2023
Sorcery of Thorns #1.5
Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city's most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate's wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor's occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another...
With no access to the outside world, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas - along with their new maid Mercy - will have to work together to discover the source of the magic behind the malfunctioning wards before they're due to host the city's Midwinter Ball. Not an easy task when the house is filled with unexpected secrets, and all Elisabeth can think about is kissing Nathaniel in peace. But when it becomes clear that the house, influenced by the magic of Nathaniel's ancestors, requires a price for its obedience, Elisabeth and Nathaniel will have to lean on their connection like never before to set things right.
- Goodreads.
Sorcery of Thorns was such a wonderful story with the most loveable characters, it makes me so happy that we are going to see more of those characters in this novella!
5. Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Expected publication 10th January 2023
(Emily Wilde #1)
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party - or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily's research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones - the most elusive of all faeries - lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all - her own heart.
- Goodreads.
I have never read anything from this author before but this book just sounds so perfect and delightful, I can never resist a good faerie story!
6. Untitled by V.E. Schwab
Expected publication October 2023
Shades of Magic #4, Threads of Power #1
The start of a brand-new trilogy called the Threads of Power, which will be set in the same world as the Shades of Magic series, featuring new leads, plus the entire cast from Conjuring of Light.
- Goodreads.
There might not be many details about what this new trilogy in the Shades of Magic world will contain, but I loved the first trilogy and thought it was so inventive and clever, so I am definitely excited for more, and I am always happy to read more from V.E. Schwab in general.
7. A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
Expected publication 9th May 2023
The Middlemist Trilogy #1
Lady Gemma Ashbourne seemingly has it all. She's young, gorgeous, and rich. Her family was Anointed by the gods, blessed with incredible abilities. But underneath her glittering façade, Gemma is deeply sad. Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to guard against treacherous magic. Her mother abandoned the family. Her father and eldest sister, Farrin - embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family - often forget Gemma exists.
Worst of all, Gemma is the only Ashbourne to possess no magic. Instead, her body fights it like poison. Constantly ill, aching with loneliness, Gemma craves love and yearns to belong.
Then she meets the devastatingly handsome Talan d'Astier. His family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem their honor. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She'll help Talan navigate high society if he helps her destroy the Basks. According to popular legend, a demon called The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown is behind the families' blood feud - slay the demon, end the feud.
But attacks on the Middlemist are increasing. The plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control. And something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan and an all-consuming passion that could destroy her - or show her the true strength of her power at last.
- Goodreads.
This is another author I have not read from before but the story sounds so compelling and like it could be really thrilling, so I am intrigued to see what this one will be like!
8. Lore Olympus: Volume Four by Rachel Smythe
Expected publication 6th June 2023
Lore Olympus Volumes #4
The rumour mill of Olympus is constantly churning, but Persephone and Hades are all anyone can talk about. With the constant gossip creating intense pressure on the pair, they decide to slow down their budding romance and focus on sorting out their own issues first.
But that's easier said than done.
- Goodreads.
I have really adored every volume of Lore Olympus I have read so far, it is such an enjoyable story with such a delightful art style, I am really looking forward to the release of the next volume!
9. A Duet with the Siren Duke by Elise Kova
Expected publication 15th August 2023
Married to Magic #4
In water as cold as death, the duet began. With it, she gained five years of freedom. But, her time is up. And now she will go beneath the waves and into the hands of the enchanting siren who claimed her as his sacrifice.
- Goodreads.
Although I had mixed feelings about the most recent book in this series, overall I think each installment has been an enjoyable romance and I am curious to see what a siren romance in this world will be like!
10. The Bone Season 10th Anniversay Edition by Samantha Shannon
Expected publication Summer 2023
The Bone Season #1, revised
This is not a completely new story, but I am still quite excited about this as Samantha Shannon has revised The Bone Season for this anniversary and I am very curious to see what this updated version will be like, what changes she has made and how the reading experience will be different. I am also excited to see what this anniversary edition will look like and if the cover will be similar or changed!
