My Most Anticipated Releases for 2023 | Pt. 1 (Jan-May)

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog! 

When I was looking back at my posts from this month, I couldn't believe I hadn't done my anticipated releases yet. I mean, that's such a staple for me! I love looking at the year to come and picking out which books I'm most excited for. So, even though it's the end of January, I'm doing my 2023 anticipated releases! 

As I did last year, I will only be talking about the first half of the year, since that's usually how far we get with detailed release information. And for some reason, none of the books I'm looking forward to are being published in June, so this list will only go until May. Once July roles around, I will post part two of this series. Also I will of course mention January releases even though they're already out.

One last thing: The dates I'm giving you are the ones on Goodreads as of when I'm writing this, so they are of course subject to change. 

Okay, let's get into it!

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January 

Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman (Released 1.03)

    This is a novella about Alice Oseman's Heartstopper protagonists, Nick and Charlie. This takes place two years after the events of Heartstopper, with Nick graduating high school and off to university, and Charlie entering his last year of sixth form. I have already read this, and I absolutely loved it, of course. Nick and Charlie are so wholesome and wonderful, and this short novella definitely distracted me from a rather awful time. 

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire (Released 1.10)

    This is the eighth book in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series. This one follows Antionette, who was introduced to us in the last book, Where the Drowned Girls Go. I'm so excited to read this book, I always love the ones where we explore the portal worlds more than the ones that take place at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. Plus, I am so interested in how Antionette got to where she was when we met her. 

Mysteries at Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson (Released 1.17)

    When I tell you I screamed when I saw Margaret Rogerson was coming back to the world in Sorcery of Thorns...dude. This is a novella that takes place after the events of Sorcery of Thorns, which is my favorite novel by her (so far). I'm sooo excited to see how Nathaniel and Elisabeth are doing. 

How To Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (Released 1.17)

    This is Grady Hendrix's latest horror novel, and I'm currently reading it. I'm using it as a determiner of whether or not I'll keep reading his books, or if I'm going to put him aside. So far, I've read three books by Grady Hendrix, and I disliked two of them and felt kind of meh toward the other one. Anyway, this book is about Louise, who goes home to Charleston after her parents die in a horrific car crash to get their house ready to sell. But obviously, shit happens. 

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz (Released 1.24)

    This seems to be a literary fiction novel told in vignettes, about different writes throughout the centuries who took inspiration from the Ancient Greek poet, Sappho. We all know how obsessed I am with Greek history, literature, mythology, etc. And Sappho is one of my most favorite writers from Ancient Greece. So I'm super interested in this book and what Selby Wynn Schwartz does with this idea.

February

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes (Releases 2.07)

    Another book inspired by Ancient Greece, though this one is a mythology retelling about Medusa. I've read many Greek mythology retellings by Natalie Haynes by now, and so I trust her implicitly with this genre. I'm thrilled to see that we're getting a Medusa retelling by her, since I know that she will take a more feminist approach to it. 

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones (Releases 2.07)

    This is the sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw, which is a horror/slasher novel. I read it back in 2020 and I enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to the sequel. I know that Stephen Graham Jones has always planned for this to be a trilogy even though he's only ever written standalones, so I'm wondering if this book will have some middle-book syndrome or if he will be able to combat that. 

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (Releases 2.28)

    Probably my most anticipated release for the entire year. This is the long-awaited sequel/prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, which is one of my most favorite books of all time. I am so excited for this book to be released. I've already decided that if I can only buy one book for the year (which is silly but this is how my brain works), it would be this book. 

March 

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (Releases 3. 07)

    More mythology, hooray! And this cover is absolutely gorgeous. I have to admit, I'm getting a little tired of Clytemnestra's story, simply because it's been the most common story to retell lately (in case you don't know, Clytemnestra is also connected to Agamemnon, Electra, Cassandra, and Orestes). But I will still be picking this up, because it would take a lot more to make me turn away a myth retelling. I can't wait to see what Costanza Casati does with her story. 

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (Releases 3. 28)

    I feel like T. Kingfisher has really just exploded in the past year for her cozy horror fantasy stories, and for good reason. She's excellent at creating atmosphere and the vibes in her books are always immaculate. A House With Good Bones is a Southern Gothic that explores the "perfect" family and home and the twisted roots underneath it. Say it with me - I'm so excited for this.

Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland (Releases 3.28)

    Tessa Gratton wrote one of my favorite books (The Queens of Innis Lear) so I've been eagerly waiting for her to come out with something new, and my patience has finally paid off. With Justina Ireland, this is the first book in a new fantasy duology with ancient magic, warring houses, and amazing creatures. Put a dragon on your book cover, and I'll read it full stop. 

April

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson (Releases 4.04)

    I'm pretty sure this is the most anticipated release of 2023 for the world. Brandon Sanderson announced last year that he wrote four full novels during the pandemic, and then began a kickstarter to publish them all in 2023, raising millions of dollars in mere hours. Absolute insanity. Tress of the Emerald Sea is the first of these pandemic novels. Now, despite this being on my anticipated list, I probably won't be picking it up any time soon, just because I'm still pretty new to Sanderson's works, and I haven't even read his Stormlight Archive yet. I want to read more of his books in the Cosmere before I pick this up. 

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro (Releases 4.18)

    This is a horror novel about a woman being haunted by La Llorona, a Mexican folk demon. La Llorona has always been a particular fascination of mine since I grew up in Southern California and was surrounded by Latinx culture, and we all know I latch onto mythology and folklore. I don't want to read the synopsis of this book because I like to go into horror novels not knowing much, but I can't wait to read this!

The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart (Releases 4. 20)

    I'm practically vibrating with excitement for this book. This is the third and final book in Andrea Stewart's Drowning Empire series. I absolutely loved the first two books (The Bone Shard Daughter and The Bone Shard Emperor) and I've been impatiently waiting for book three, so you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be picking this up on it's release day and devouring it. 

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune (Releases 4.25)

    This is the latest in T.J. Klune's queer cozy fantasy romance stories, and this one is loosely based on Pinocchio, I think. It seems like there are androids and tree houses and what it means to be human all sprinkled into this book. I'll be honest, I don't know much about this, but I also don't want to know. I have faith in T.J. Klune to write a beautiful and heartwarming story. 

May

The Sun and the Star by Mark Oshiro and Rick Riordan (Releases 5.02)

    Nico di Angelo storyyyyyy!!!! This is the Nico and Will book that Rick Riordan has been teasing for years, and it's finally here! I can't tell you too much about this book, since it takes place after the ending of Rick Riordan's third Camp Half-Blood series, but I just know that it will be emotional, and thrilling, and full of fluffy Solangelo moments. My inner child is bouncing up and down waiting for this book to be in my hands. 

How to Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (Releases 5.09)

    This is the first book in a new fantasy series that seems to focus on colonialism and the horrors that Indigenous peoples went through, but with dragons thrown into the mix. It seems like there will be a lot of parallels drawn to residential schools and what they "taught" Indigenous children. I think this book will make me super angry, and I can't wait. I haven't read nearly enough books written by Indigenous authors and I want that to change. 

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint (Releases 5.09)

    More mythology! Jennifer Saint's myth retellings are fun, and I'm excited that she's now writing about Atalanta, who is almost always overlooked for more popular myths. But Atalanta's story is fascinating to me, and I am excited to see how Jennifer Saint molds it to fit her more feminist approach to her books. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (Releases 5.23)

    Anyone who doesn't know about Yellowface must be living under a rock, because it's been everywhere lately. And for good reason. After R.F. Kuang's 2022 release, Babel, really blew up alongside the HarperCollins union strike (now that's what I call divine intervention), all eyes have been on her upcoming release Yellowface, which follows a white author who steals the manuscript of a recently deceased Asian author and passes it off as her own, alongside "rebranding" herself to be more racially ambiguous. R.F. Kuang is not pulling any punches with this book, that's for damn sure. I can't wait to read it. 

Witch King by Martha Wells (Releases 5.30)

    Lastly, we have Martha Wells' new fantasy novel. I've read the first half of her Murderbot series and I have really enjoyed it so far, so I'm intrigued by this story. Even more intriguing is that there isn't any information about this book. So I'm going in blind, but I don't even care. 

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Alright, those are all the books I'm looking forward to in the first half of 2023! Tell me, what is your most anticipated release for this year? Let me know in the comments, or DM me on Instagram.

Until next time!