Incredible New Release Fantasy Books in June 2023!
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Best New Release Fantasy Books in June 2023!
Another month, another list of amazing new fantasy books for you to dig into! June 2023 brings an exciting selection of brand new books to add to your TBR list.
Let me know in the comments which ones catch your eye!
June 1st
1.Captain (All That Glitters #2) by Shalaena Medford
Fantasy | Gaslamp Fantasy | Pirates
Mere weeks have passed since Tsingsei “Song” Gould’s world fell into ashes. Now she must accept her role as captain of the Stars’ Bounty
The crew returns to the skies to do what they do best: piracy. They travel the world, visiting new countries and finding an adventure wherever they go. In the frigid south, Song finds there are answers to her questions about kijæm…with a caveat. In the trading country, she gains confidence in her notoriety. In the exotic west, she makes a terrible mistake
However, one of Song’s dearest friends has become a wanted man, and they must find a way to free him of the price on his head. Will she commit the highest crime in the world, or will she lose him to the gallows?
Read Book #1- Wanted
June 6th
2. The Pen Thief and the Division of Destiny (The Pen Thief #3) by Tasha Madison
Fantasy | Young adult | Magical Realism
A king with an appetite for absolute power. A magician with abilities he doesn’t fully understand. Future guardians torn between ancient prophesies, forgotten secrets, and a sworn oath to protect and defend.
A rebellion rises. As fates intertwine, a mysterious magic fights to find the true heirs of its enchantment. But, danger lurks in the shadows of the past. A dark alliance, determined to possess the mystical relics of the world for itself, seeks to destroy the veil of truth hidden by time.
Will destiny prevail or fall prey to the gluttonous desires of mankind?
Read Book #1- The Pen Thief and the Orbit of Uncertainty
3. A Spark in the Cinders by Jenny Elder Moke
Fantasy | Young Adult | High Fantasy
Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince meets Jennifer Donnelly's Stepsister in this fairytale reimagining about a kingdom on the brink of ruin, and one wicked stepsister’s journey from side character to heroine of her own quest
The story has reached it's happily ever after, the peasant girl has married her prince and become queen, all is well in the kingdom. . . But for Aralyn, the princesses stepsister, the story is only just beginning.
The kingdom of Novador has had a streak of misfortunes, with drought, famine, and disease plaguing the lands. According to a prophecy, restoring an ancient magical artifact-- the Protector's Blade-- is the only thing that can pull the kingdom back from the brink of destruction. With inside information from her fairy godmother, Aralyn teams up with lady knight Vee to go questing for the shattered pieces of the blade that have been scattered to the furthest reached of Novador. To win each element of the dagger, the girls must prove themselves by using their strengths to conquer their greatest fear. Aralyn uses wisdom, Vee physical prowess, and Queen Ellarose who is ruling the kingdom, uses benevolence. Together, these three powerful women fight to take their place as the rightful heirs to the kingdom.
4. Waybound (Cradle #12) by Will Wight
Fantasy | Young Adult | High Fantasy | Epic Fantasy | Magic
Years ago, Lindon left his home as a powerless Unsouled. Now, he goes to war with the most powerful beings in the world over the future of Cradle itself.
The Weeping Dragon has a grudge to settle, and Lindon intends to take out the Dreadgod with his friends by his side. But rival Monarchs know his plans, and they won’t let things end so easily.
If Lindon does win, he will ascend to the heavens. But he may not find a safe haven there either.
In the worlds above, Suriel and Ozriel face off against the Mad King to determine the new shape of the cosmos. The victor will decide the fate of countless universes.
Whether he wins or dies, Lindon will soon leave this life behind.
Read Book #1- Unsouled
June 13th
5. Legends and Liars (Echoes and Empires #2) by Morgan Rhodes
Fantasy | Young Adult | High Fantasy
This riveting sequel to Echoes and Empires sees Joss and Jericho team up with some of their greatest enemies—including two of the most powerful mages in the world—to bring an end to the queen’s empire of lies, from New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes.
Josslyn Drake is in over her head—again. After fleeing the Queen’s palace with Prince Elian in tow, she’d hoped to finally find a way to solve both of their magical problems in one fell swoop, with the help of criminal-turned-ally Jericho Nox. But Valery, Jericho’s boss—and a notoriously powerful mage—has other plans.
It soon becomes clear that Valery can’t, or won’t, provide assistance. And with her relationship with Jericho more confusing than ever, Joss realizes that she’ll have to find her own way out of this magical mess, with or without help from those around her.
Amid high tensions, Joss sets out to learn to control the memory magic—along with her own natural powers. As the struggle between Lord Banyon and the Queen threatens the people Joss cares about, she stumbles onto hints of a monumental royal secret. Her unwanted power just might hold the answers she needs to solve all her problems—but she’ll have to work quickly, because the fate of an empire hangs in the balance.
Read Book #1- Echoes and Empires
6. Powerless by Jacqueline Pretty
Fantasy | Young Adult | Superheroes
How far would you go for power?
When Hanna was eight, her older sister burst into flames—the first of her siblings to get superpowers. Eight years later and Hanna now has three other superpowered siblings, while she remains disappointingly powerless.
Hanna’s father, Artem Super, is the scientist responsible for discovering the super gene mutation. She has been working in his lab, desperate to find a way to unlock the powers hidden in her DNA before his patience runs out. Unfortunately for Hanna, a suspected research leak is all the reason Artem needs to have his superpowered children force her out of their home. She has one shot at redemption—if she gets powers, she can come back.
Hanna’s quest leads her to tangle with the Russian mafia and learn dark secrets about her father’s past, prompting her to question where her loyalties lie, and just how far she will go to prove herself.
Content warning: This book contains strong language and depictions of self-harm, violence, depression and unhealthy family dynamics. Please be mindful of these and other possible triggers.
7. Trick by Cara Nox
Fantasy | New Adult | Urban Fantasy
WELCOME TO NEW ATLAS: A CITY WITHIN A REALITY JUST BEYOND OUR OWN.
Evie is a nobody. Spending her days in college classes and her nights studying, having a social life has never really been a priority. With her sights firmly set on the future to keep away her thoughts of the past, she loses her grip on the present when her world is ripped out from under her. And it’s all thanks to two mysterious strangers showing up on her doorstep, claiming that she can turn back time.
Cade is a notorious troublemaker. He’s never been afraid to throw around his name to get what he wants as someone who’s clawed his way to the top. But power is quick to change hands in this city, and when he chooses to blatantly disregard an order from his leader, his older brother, he’s tossed back down to the bottom again. He’ll be more than lucky to regain any sort of trust when everyone knows he’s one of the best spies there is, sliding in and out of shadows in the blink of an eye.
Ren is a bored teenager. Always labeled as the “golden child” or “gifted student,” he finds himself writing down cryptic messages and following strange leads, rather than putting on the same old song and dance for his family. Especially once he discovers his little stolen fragments of the future are starting to take a darker turn. Perhaps chasing the life everyone wants him to have isn’t necessarily in the cards for him, but there’s only one way to find out.
So when someone within the secret society known as the Custodians targets Evie for her power, the clock starts in the final sprint to hunt down the culprit. In order to uncover whatever hidden clues are lurking in the past, the three of them have no choice but to peel back the layers of obscurity built up between their factions to figure out why she’s being hunted and how they might be able to fix their bleak futures before it’s too late.
Just remember: time is nothing but a trick.
8. The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
Fantasy | Historical Fiction | WWI | Circus
If you knew how dark tomorrow would be, what would you do with today?
Ringmaster — Rin, to those who know her best — can jump to different moments in time as easily as her wife, Odette, soars from bar to bar on the trapeze. And the circus they lead is a rare home and safe haven for magical misfits and outcasts, known as Sparks.
With the world still reeling from World War I, Rin and her troupe — the Circus of the Fantasticals — travel the midwest, offering a single night of enchantment and respite to all who step into their Big Top.
But threats come at Rin from all sides. The future holds an impending war that the Sparks can see barrelling toward their show and everyone in it. And Rin's past creeps closer every day, a malevolent shadow she can’t fully escape.
It takes the form of another circus, with tents as black as midnight and a ringmaster who rules over his troupe with a dangerous power. Rin's circus has something he wants, and he won't stop until it's his.
June 15th
9. Courting Destiny (Book #2) by A.R. Kaufer
Fantasy | Adult | Epic Romantic Fantasy
The kingdom is in shock, and its people are preparing for the unknown. Was the queen’s sacrifice enough to bring peace, or will the war rage on? Unexpected changes cause doubt and unrest amongst even the tightest bonds, and only time will tell if the kingdom can withstand the strain these changes bring. New shadows grow stronger and assassins lurk around every corner. With everyone a threat or a target, who can be trusted?
Sudden betrayal and heartbreaking loss bring the kingdom ever closer to the edge of chaos. With the right leadership, new alliances are struck, and hope may yet be on the horizon. But moving forward may be easier said than done. How does one accept such a sudden shift in destiny?
The next book in The Courtship Saga, this book will send you on a roller-coaster of emotions.
Read Book #1- Courting Fate
June 20th
10. And Break the Pretty Kings by Lena Jeong
Fantasy | Young Adult | Historical Fiction | Korean Mythology
A crown princess. A monster the gods fear. A destiny no one can outrun. Inspired by Korean history and myths, the first book in the Sacred Bone series is a rich and evocative high-stakes fantasy that is perfect for fans of Gallant and Six Crimson Cranes . Mirae was meant to save her queendom, but the ceremony before her coronation ends in terror and death, unlocking a strange new power within her and foretelling the return of a monster even the gods fear. Amid the chaos, Mirae’s beloved older brother is taken—threatening the peninsula’s already tenuous truce. Desperate to save her brother and defeat this ancient enemy before the queendom is beset by war, Mirae sets out on a journey with an unlikely group of companions while her unpredictable magic gives her terrifying visions of a future she must stop at any cost.
June 26th
11. Forged by Flames (Darkened Skies #0.5) by H. E. Bauman
Fantasy | New Adult | Prequel
Not a soldier. Not a prince. Not even a son. A weapon…
Varojin Auris didn’t ask to be a prince. As the illegitimate child of the Helosian emperor, he was never meant for the world he grew up in, and he knows it. When his father enlists Varojin in the military two years before the service age, it’s clear he’s no longer welcome in the court. So, forced to follow the emperor’s orders, Varojin severs ties with his old life and sets off for Fort Ironwing.
Amid the ranks of junior soldiers, Varojin finds himself as unwelcome as he was at the palace—only this time, there are no rules protecting him from superiors who use far more force with him than on his peers. So when Varojin is offered the opportunity to leave basic training behind and join a highly specialized, secretive unit, he accepts.
But the relief of being flanked by those who support him is tainted by a new the responsibility to take lives when duty calls. When a crisis reveals the full extent of Varojin’s powers, he fears he has finally become his father’s son. In the midst of destruction, the weary prince finds himself faced with a fight for the rubble of his past, or rebuild his life anew.
June 27th
12. Sing Me to Sleep (Sing Me to Sleep #1) by Gabi Burton
Fantasy | Young Adult | Mermaids | Mythology | High Fantasy
In this dark and seductive YA fantasy debut, a siren must choose between protecting her family and following her heart in a prejudiced kingdom where her existence is illegal.
Saoirse Sorkova survives on lies. As a soldier-in-training at the most prestigious barracks in the kingdom, she lies about being a siren to avoid execution. At night, working as an assassin for a dangerous group of mercenaries, Saoirse lies about her true identity. And to her family, Saoirse tells the biggest lie of all: that she can control her siren powers and doesn't struggle constantly against an impulse to kill.
As the top trainee in her class, Saoirse would be headed for a bright future if it weren't for the need to keep her secrets out of the spotlight. But when a mysterious blackmailer threatens her sister, Saoirse takes a dangerous job that will help her investigate: she becomes personal bodyguard to the crown prince.
Saoirse should hate Prince Hayes. After all, his father is the one who enforces the kingdom's brutal creature segregation laws. But when Hayes turns out to be kind, thoughtful, and charming, Saoirse finds herself increasingly drawn to him-especially when they're forced to work together to stop a deadly killer who's plaguing the city. There's only one problem: Saoirse is that deadly killer.
Featuring an all Black and Brown cast, a forbidden romance, and a compulsively dark plot full of twists, this thrilling YA fantasy is perfect for fans of A Song Below Water and To Kill a Kingdom.
13. Gods of the Wyrdwood (Forsaken #1) by R.J. Barker
Fantasy | Adult | Epic Fantasy
In a world locked in eternal winter and haunted by prophecy, a young boy trains for years to become the Chosen One, only for another to rise and claim his place in the start of an unmissable epic from a rising star in fantasy.
The northlands of Crua are locked in eternal winter, but prophecy tells of the chosen child – who will rule in the name of their God, and take warmth back from the South. Cahal du Nahere was raised to be this person: the Cowl-Rai, the saviour. Taken from his parents and prepared for his destiny.
But his time never came.
When he was fifteen he ceased to matter. Another Cowl-Rai had risen, another chosen one, raised in the name of a different God. The years of vicious physical and mental training he had endured, the sacrifice, all for nothing. He became nothing.
Twenty years later, and Cahal lives a life of secrecy on the edges of Crua’s giant forests – hiding what he is, running from what he can do. But when he is forced to reveal his true nature, he sets off a sequence of events that will reveal secrets that will shake the bedrock of his entire world, and expose lies that have persisted for generations.
June 2023 promises to be a fantastic month for fantasy readers, with so many new and exciting releases to choose from. Get ready to immerse yourself in the enchanting worlds of these captivating fantasy novels!
Make sure you add the ones you like to your TBR pile! Which ones do you like the look of? Let me know in the comments☺️
