Here are eight books that are being released in June of 2023. Some of these I’ve been dying to read and can’t wait to have in my collection!
Shanghai Immortal
by A.Y. Chao
Synopsis
Pawned by her mother to the King of Hell as a child, Lady Jing is half-vampire, half-hulijing fox-spirit and all sasshole. As the King’s ward, she has spent the past ninety years running errands, dodging the taunts of the spiteful hulijing courtiers, and trying to control her explosive temper – with varying levels of success.
So when Jing overhears the courtiers plotting to steal a priceless dragon pearl from the King, she seizes her chance to expose them, once and for all.
With the help of a gentle mortal tasked with setting up the Central Bank of Hell, Jing embarks on a wild chase for intel, first through Hell and then mortal Shanghai. But when her hijinks put the mortal in danger, she must decide which is more important: avenging her loss of face, or letting go of her half-empty approach to life for a chance to experience tenderness – and maybe even love.
Expected publication: June 1, 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton
A Crown of Ivy and Glass
(The Middlemist Trilogy #1)
by Claire Legrand
Synopsis
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.
Expected publication: June 13, 2023 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
A Kingdom of Fire and Fate
by Holly Renee
Synopsis
Passion ignites, torn between desire and duty. Love and loyalty collide in the aftermath of war, where Sorin consumes my every thought. Haunted by nightmares, the intensity of our connection blazes brighter than ever. In the dead of night, he visits, whispering promises of a future that weakens my resolve. The fear of losing him becomes an inferno, overshadowing all else. But destiny takes a wicked twist. When news arrives that the human king, now allied with Evren’s father, has invited Starblessed contenders to compete for his hand in marriage, I embark on a perilous journey into enemy territory. My to uncover the enigmatic ruler’s hidden secrets. Yet, Sorin, fierce and unwavering, refuses to let me face this danger alone. He risks everything to protect me. Together, we navigate a treacherous realm of secrets and deception, shrouding my true identity as we unravel the twisted web spun by the human king. As our desires intensify, so does the peril that surrounds us. Loyalties blur, and the line between friend and foe fades amidst an imminent threat. In a world where trust is fragile and danger lurks at every step, we confront choices that shall shape our destiny. Will we betray our hearts in the name of duty, or plunge into the flames of an all-consuming love that could set realms ablaze? In this breathtaking installment of the Stars and Shadows series, Thalia must confront her deepest fears, summon the strength to follow her desires, and embrace the power that lies within her. The kingdom’s future hangs in the balance, and the choices she makes will shape the very fabric of all she holds dear.
Expected publication: June 23, 2023 (independent publisher)
The Demon’s Deal
(The Demon Princes #1)
by L. Alexander
Synopsis
I may not remember who I am, but fate has decided I belong to him.
Kidnapped.
Cursed.
Fated to a Demon Prince.
My whole life was stolen from me, and I can’t remember what happened.
Delivered into the employ of a powerful archmage, I quickly learn that what little I know isn’t at all what it seems.
Including me.
I’m a stone-kin witch, not a human farm girl like I thought. He’s a powerful demon prince, devoted to me in every way… including taking swift revenge on anyone who’s wronged me.
The curse blocking my memories is also keeping mysterious magic dormant, and someone from my past wants it all for themselves.
And our fated bond? It may not be quite what I thought it was.
Expected publication: June 21, 2023 by Amazon Digital Services
The Surviving Sky
(Rages #1)
by Kritika H. Rao
Synopsis
High above a jungle-planet float the last refuges of humanity—plant-made civilizations held together by tradition, technology, and arcane science. In these living cities, architects are revered above anyone else. If not for their ability to psychically manipulate the architecture, the cities would plunge into the devastating earthrage storms below.
Charismatic, powerful, mystical, Iravan is one such architect. In his city, his word is nearly law. His abilities are his identity, but to Ahilya, his wife, they are a way for survival to be reliant on the privileged few. Like most others, she cannot manipulate the plants. And she desperately seeks change.
Their marriage is already thorny—then Iravan is accused of pushing his abilities to forbidden limits. He needs Ahilya to help clear his name; she needs him to tip the balance of rule in their society. As their paths become increasingly intertwined, deadly truths emerge, challenging everything each of them believes. And as the earthrages become longer, and their floating city begins to plummet, Iravan and Ahilya’s discoveries might destroy their marriage, their culture, and their entire civilization.
Expected publication: June 13, 2023 by Titan Books
Threads That Bind
(Threads That Bind #1)
by Kika Hatzopoulou
Synopsis
Descendants of the Fates are always born in threes: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they love and to life itself. The Ora sisters are no exception. Io, the youngest, uses her Fate-born abilities as a private investigator in the half-sunken city of Alante.
But her latest job leads her to a horrific discovery: somebody is abducting women, maiming their life-threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. To find the culprit, she must work alongside Edei Rhuna, the right hand of the infamous Mob Queen—and the boy with whom she shares a rare fate-thread linking them as soul mates before they’ve even met.
But the investigation turns personal when Io’s estranged oldest sister turns up on the arm of her best suspect. Amid unveiled secrets from her past and her growing feelings for Edei, Io must follow clues through the city’s darkest corners and unearth a conspiracy that involves some of the city’s most powerful players—before destruction comes to her own doorstep.
Expected publication: May 30, 2023 by Razorbill
Pedro & Daniel
by Federico Erebia
Synopsis
Pedro and Daniel are Mexican American brothers growing up in 1970s Ohio. Their mother resents that Pedro is a spitting image of their darker-skinned father; that Daniel likes dolls; that neither boy plays sports. Both are gay and neurodivergent. They are alike, but they are dissimilar in their struggles, their dreams, their approach to life.
Pedro & Daniel is a sweeping and deeply personal novel that spans from childhood, through their teen years, and into adulthood. Theirs is a bond that won’t be broken. Together they endure an abusive home life, coming out, first loves, first jobs, and the AIDS pandemic, in a coming-of-age story unlike any other.
Despite everything, there is much joy in the stories in the book. Their resilience and special bond help the boys face one evil after another. While Pedro suffers more at home, Daniel is particularly susceptible to the malevolence of the outside world.
They are similar: gay, neurodivergent Latinos in love with all things Mexico.
Son tal para cual.
They are cut from the same cloth.
They are different: Pedro is darker-skinned, oppressed, repressed, introverted, and agnostic. Daniel is precocious, carefree, mischievous, religious, and unguarded.
Expected publication: June 6, 2023 by Levine Queridos
The First Bright Thing
by J.R. Dawson
Synopsis
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.
Publication: June 13, 2023 by Tor Books
Are there any books you are awaiting? Let me know in the comments!
heavenlybookish 