New Release Fantasy Books September 2022!
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September 2022 New Release Fantasy Books!
September is a big month for fantasy books! There are some wonderful new releases and so many stunning covers. I’m trying hard not to go buy them all myself.
Which ones do you like the look of? Let me know in the comments!
September 1st
1.Wintersea by Liz Highland
Fantasy | Young Adult/New Adult |High Fantasy | Romance | Royalty
Rowan Andisa, a healer's apprentice, hiding her magic from the tyrant king. . .
Quinn Alexander, an utterly forgettable prince, with secrets of his own. . .
A rash decision will tie their fates.
To keep herself and her village safe, Rowan leaves her life behind and sets out through the forest for Wintersea, the mysterious, frozen kingdom across the ocean, the only place where magic-born can live free. But her journey takes an unexpected turn when she comes upon the young prince captured by the Woodsmen.
What follows is an adventure into the very heart of the realm, where Rowan is forced into the role of Royal Healer, a dream-come-true but also a nightmare. Because if the royal family discovers her magic, her death won’t be the only consequence. Her people will suffer, too.
But she finds an unlikely ally in Quinn, and soon she’ll discover that he has secrets of his own. Secrets that could exonerate the magic-born . . . but destroy everyone he loves.
In this first installment of the Wintersea Trilogy, hearts will break, loyalties will be tested, and hidden truths will be brought to light.
September 6th
2. Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
Fantasy | Young Adult | Dystopian | Adventure
Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve.
In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers―the ruling elite, have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others―if they're lucky―survive.
When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race.
But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns.
She grew up battling the monsters that live in the black seas, but it couldn't prepare her to face the cunning cruelty of the ruling elite.
Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and These Violent Delights, this South Asian-inspired fantasy is a gripping debut about the power of the elite, the price of glory, and one girl's chance to change it all.
3. Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Fantasy | Horror | Adult | Science Fiction Fantasy | Dark Fantasy
Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.
Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.” And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time.
A story as old as myth, and as startling and iconic as the rest of King’s work, Fairy Tale is about an ordinary guy forced into the hero’s role by circumstance, and it is both spectacularly suspenseful and satisfying.
4. The Sunbearer Trials (The Sunbearer Duology #1) by Aiden Thomas
Fantasy | Young Adult | LGBT | Mythology | High Fantasy
“Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. I’m just a Jade. I’m not a real hero.”
As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. Ten semidioses between the ages of thirteen and eighteen are selected by Sol himself as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all―they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body used to fuel the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next ten years.
Teo, a 17-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of Quetzal, goddess of birds, has never worried about the Trials…or rather, he’s only worried for others. His best friend Niya―daughter of Tierra, the god of earth―is one of the strongest heroes of their generation and is much too likely to be chosen this year. He also can’t help but worry (reluctantly, and under protest) for Aurelio, a powerful Gold semidiós and Teo’s friend-turned-rival who is a shoo-in for the Trials. Teo wouldn’t mind taking Aurelio down a notch or two, but a one-in-ten chance of death is a bit too close for Teo’s taste.
But then, for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses a semidiós who isn’t a Gold. In fact, he chooses two: Xio, the 13-year-old child of Mala Suerte, god of bad luck, and…Teo. Now they must compete in five mysterious trials, against opponents who are both more powerful and better trained, for fame, glory, and their own survival.
5. Dirty Lying Faeries by Sabrina Blackburry
Fantasy | Adult | Fantasy Romance | Fae
For better or for worse, the newest changeling has arrived . . .
When Thea Kanelos’s best friend drags her to an art gala (that’s definitely not her thing), she doesn’t expect a chance encounter with Devin Grayson to change her life forever. The handsome stranger isn’t just anyone—he’s a powerful fae, charged with bringing Thea into his world.
Believing that she’s always been human, Thea must accept that everything she’s known about herself up until now has been a lie. She’s not human at all. She is a fae—funny, because she doesn’t even believe in faeries.
But with strange creatures now visible on the street and fangs and colors flashing in the shadows, it can’t be denied: faeries are real. And with the Winter Solstice approaching, a magnificent ball will bring her fully into the fae world and draw her closer to Devin with whom she has a deepening and dangerous attraction.
As her new powers awaken, Thea learns she plays a more pivotal role to the fae than she ever imagined. And when the barrier between the human and the fae worlds begins to crack, it will be up to her to save not just herself, but everyone she loves from a terrible fate.
Deeply sensual and darkly magical, Dirty Lying Faeries is the first book in an exciting new series that takes readers inside a universe filled with faeries, dragons and werewolves--and those that love them.
September 13th
6. Defend the Dawn (Defy the Night #2) by Brigid Kemmerer
Fantasy | Young Adult | Romance | Retelling | High Fantasy
To save their kingdom, they must embark on a dangerous journey...
The kingdom of Kandala narrowly avoided catastrophe, but the embers of revolution still simmer. While King Harristan seeks a new way to lead, Tessa and Prince Corrick attempt to foster unity between rebels and royals.
But the consuls who control the Moonflower will not back down, and Corrick realizes he must find a new source for the lifesaving Elixir.
When an emissary from the neighboring kingdom of Ostriary arrives with an intriguing offer, Tessa and Corrick set out on an uncertain journey as they attempt to mend their own fractured relationship.
This could be their only chance to keep the peace and bring relief to the people of Kandala, but danger strikes during the journey to Ostriary, and no one is who they seemed to be. . .
7. Wishtress by Nadine Brandes
Fantasy | Young Adult | Christian Fantasy
She didn't ask to be the Wishtress.
Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. It's a big secret to keep. When a granted wish goes wrong, a curse is placed on her: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She needs to journey to the Well and break the curse before it claims her life--and before the king's militairen track her down. But in order to survive the journey, she must harden her heart to keep herself from crying even a single tear.
He can stop time with a snap of his fingers.
Bastiaan's powerful--and rare--Talent came in handy when he kidnapped the old king. Now the new king has a job for him: find and capture the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. When he locates Myrthe, he agrees to take her to the Well in exchange for a wish. Once she's fulfilled her end of the deal, he'll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don't compromise his job.
They are on a journey that can only end one way: with her death.
Everyone seems to need a wish--the king, Myrthe's cousin, the boy she thinks she loves. And they're ready to bully, beg, and even betray her for it. No one knows that to grant even one of them, Myrthe would have to die. And if she tells them about her curse . . . they'll just kill her anyway.
8. The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart #2) by Stephanie Garber
Fantasy | Young Adult | Romance | Magic | High Fantasy
Not every love is meant to be.
After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.
But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.
Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can. . . .
9. In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker
Fantasy | Adult | Contemporary | Witches
Three generations of witches must discover where their magic went wrong as secrets resurface that could solve a twenty-year-old mystery in this riveting debut, perfect for fans of Practical Magic and Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe.
There's something magical about Yarrow, Kentucky. The three empathic witches of the Haywood family are known for their shadow garden—from strawberries that taste like chocolate to cherry tomatoes with hints of basil and oregano. Their magic can cure any heartache, and the fruits of their garden bring a special quality to the local bourbon distillery. On one day every year, a shot of Bonner bourbon will make your worst memory disappear.
But twenty years ago, the town gave up more than one memory for the year; they forgot an entire summer. One person died. One person disappeared. And no one has any idea why.
As secrets from that fateful summer start to come to light, there must be a reckoning between the rival Haywood and Bonner families. But the only clue Irene Haywood has is in her tea leaves: a stranger’s arrival will bring either love or betrayal…
September 16th
10. A River of Magic (Ashuan Greed #2) by Janna Ruth
Urban Fantasy | Young Adult | Supernatural | Demons
When the truth involves demons, murder, and magic, everybody gets hurt.
Fabian knows with magic comes pain. He already lost one friend to a demon attack. Now his best friend is falling apart in the bloody aftermath of what should have been a joyful celebration. With demons haunting the streets of Greenvalley, and dark secrets threatening to tear their group apart, Fabian wishes he’d never unlocked the water magic inside of him.
But he is no coward. Fabian might whine and moan, but when his friends are in danger, he knows he’s got to step up. With an ancient prophecy set in motion, Fabian’s ready to face his magic. Only to find it’s gone.
A River of Magic is the second instalment of the action-packed Ashuan Greed trilogy. If you like Buffy’s wit and snarky one-liners, the magic of Charmed, and the supernatural drama of the Vampire Diaries, you’ll love this new urban fantasy series.
September 20th
11. The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
Fantasy | Adult | Historical Fiction | Russian Mythology | Retelling | Witches
In this stunning debut novel, the maligned and immortal witch of legend known as Baba Yaga will risk all to save her country and her people from Tsar Ivan the Terrible—and the dangerous gods who seek to drive the twisted hearts of men.
As a half-goddess possessing magic, Yaga is used to living on her own, her prior entanglements with mortals having led to heartbreak. She mostly keeps to her hut in the woods, where those in need of healing seek her out, even as they spread rumors about her supposed cruelty and wicked spells. But when her old friend Anastasia—now the wife of the tsar, and suffering from a mysterious illness—arrives in her forest desperate for her protection, Yaga realizes the fate of all of Russia is tied to Anastasia’s. Yaga must step out of the shadows to protect the land she loves.
As she travels to Moscow, Yaga witnesses a sixteenth century Russia on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan—soon to become Ivan the Terrible—grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine.
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore weaves a rich tapestry of mythology and Russian history, reclaiming and reinventing the infamous Baba Yaga, and bringing to life a vibrant and tumultuous Russia, where old gods and new tyrants vie for power. This fierce and compelling novel draws from the timeless lore to create a heroine for the modern day, fighting to save her country and those she loves from oppression while also finding her true purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman.
12. Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros
Fantasy | Young Adult | LGBT | Magic | Romance
A haunting fantasy following Toma, adopted daughter of the benevolent undead, making her way across a civil war-torn continent to save her younger sister as she discovers she might possess magical powers herself.
The Kosa empire roils in tension, on the verge of being torn apart by a proletarian revolution between magic-endowed elites and the superstitious lower class, but seventeen-year-old Toma lives blissfully disconnected from the conflict in the empire with her adoptive family of benevolent undead.
When she meets Vanya, a charming commoner branded as a witch by his own neighbors, and the dethroned Tsar Mikhail himself, the unlikely trio bonds over trying to restore Mikhail’s magic and protect the empire from the revolutionary leader, Koschei, whose forces have stolen the castle. Vanya has his magic, and Mikhail has his title, but if Toma can’t dig deep and find her power in time, all of their lives will be at Koschei’s mercy.
September 27th
13. Spells for Forgetting Adrienne Young
Fantasy | Adult | Mystery | Magical Realism | Thriller
Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings.
But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget.
August knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from his past that has never healed—Emery.
The town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises spanning generations threaten to reveal the truth behind Lily’s mysterious death once and for all.
14. The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance #3) Naomi Novik
Fantasy | Young Adult | Urban Fantasy | Dark Academia | Romance | Magic
Saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the triumphant conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate.
Almost singlehandedly--although backed by an increasingly large cadre of genuine friends--El has changed the nature of the Scholomance forever. But now that she is back in the real world, how will the lessons she learned inside the school apply? Will her grandmother's prophecy come true? Will she really spell the doom of all the enclaves forever?
As the quest to save her one true love ramps up, however, El is about to learn the most significant lesson of all--the dire truth on which the enclaves and the whole stability of the magical world are founded. And being El, she is not likely to let it lie....
Read Book #1- A Deadly Education
15. Foul Lady Fortune (Foul Lady Fortune #1) Chloe Gong
Fantasy | Historical Fiction | Shanghai 1930s | Mystery
It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.
Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune.
But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
16. Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked #3) by Kerri Maniscalco
Fantasy | New Adult | Witches | Romance | Paranormal
Two curses.
One prophecy.
A reckoning all have feared.
And a love more powerful than fate. All hail the king and queen of Hell.
Emilia is reeling from the shocking discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive. But before she faces the demons of her past, Emilia yearns to claim her king, the seductive Prince of Wrath, in the flesh. Emilia doesn’t simply desire his body, she wants his heart and soul—but that’s something the enigmatic demon can’t promise her.
When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.
Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.
Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.
17. Demon in the Wood- Hardcover Graphic Novel (Grishaverse #0) Leigh Bardugo, Dani Pendergast (Illustrator)
Fantasy | Graphic Novel | Young Adult | Comic | High Fantasy | Magic
Before he led Ravka’s Second Army, before he created the Fold, and long before he became the Darkling, he was just a lonely boy burdened by an extraordinary power.
Eryk and his mother, Lena, have spent their lives on the run. But they will never find a safe haven. They are not only Grisha—they are the deadliest and rarest of their kind. Feared by those who wish to destroy them and hunted by those who would exploit their gifts, they must hide their true abilities wherever they go. But sometimes deadly secrets have a way of revealing themselves…
Discover the start of a grand and sinister destiny in this must-have graphic novel prequel to the bestselling series and international Netflix sensation Shadow and Bone from spectacular new talent Dani Pendergast and #1 New York Times bestseller Leigh Bardugo.
18. Last of the Talons (Talon #1) by Sophie Kim
Fantasy | Young Adult | Korean Mythology | Retelling
After the destruction of her entire Talon gang, eighteen-year-old Shin Lina—the Reaper of Sunpo—is forced to become a living, breathing weapon for the kingdom’s most-feared crime lord. All that keeps her from turning on her ruthless master is the life of her beloved little sister hanging in the balance. But the order to steal a priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple incites not only the wrath of a legendary immortal, but the beginning of an unwinnable game…
Suddenly Lina finds herself in the dreamlike realm of the Dokkaebi, her fate in the hands of its cruel and captivating emperor. But she can win her life—if she kills him first.
Now a terrible game of life and death has begun, and even Lina's swift, precise blade is no match for the magnetic Haneul Rui. Lina will have to use every weapon in her arsenal if she wants to outplay this cunning king and save her sister...all before the final grain of sand leaks out of the hourglass.
Because one way or another, she'll take Rui's heart.
Even if it means giving up her own.
September 30th
19. Sanda (Shadow Fractures #2) by Bethany Arliss
Fantasy | Young Adult | Epic Fantasy | Portal | Adventure | Romance
With tenacity and ruin, Sanda of Three will mend the shattering.
Kelsey Denner may have escaped the Vaa, but now the horrifying invaders have a foothold in the world she has grown to cherish.
To close the Shadow Fractures, Kelsey must once more traverse the lands of Aracron in a deadly quest to reach the long-forgotten altar of the Medi Mountains.
Pursued by protectors and Vaa worshippers, Kelsey is tested in ways she’d never imagined. Battling inner demons, Kelsey struggles with her newfound ingeniums but soon discovers the staggering power - and consequences - of her latent abilities.
With the brutal High Lord of the Vaa, Irapra, hellbent on stopping her, Kelsey will do anything to save the people she loves. Even if it means facing her greatest fear . . . and even if it demands the ultimate sacrifice.
20. The Worst Story Ever Written by Nicole Wells
Paranormal Romance | Comedy | Vampires | Fairytale Retelling
Magic, mystery, and a match made in heaven… maybe.
Oh, and a somewhat mute aardvark, too.
**New Edition! Now absolutely and totally revised and rewritten!**
Hi. I’m Jayne. I know, plain human Jayne. But that’s not the story of my life. This book is.
It all started with a visit from the all-powerful Book Fairy. The very one that can turn the life of an author like me around.
It’s unfortunate we haven’t been on good terms. It’s even more unfortunate that when she finally deigns to visit me, it’s for murder. I mean, a murder. Damn articles, they really do make a difference.
Add in a kingdom on the brink of a breakdown and my fantasy lover, a vampire Prince who might just hate me, and things surely can’t get worse … right?
Warning: This has an inverse harem scene. If you don’t like group ceiling sex, this book might not be for you.
Actual Note: Mild profanity. This is a slow-burn romance with just the right amount of spiciness to feel comfortable reading on public transit, so long as you’re prepared to laugh out loud. Cliffhanger ending.
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☺️
