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Most Anticipated Fantasy Book Releases in September 2023

Hi, guys! These are my most anticipated September fantasy releases. I can’t wait to read them!


1. A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. She’s had no choice. Since childhood, she’s been haunted by visions of the Fairy King. She’s found solace only in the pages of Angharad - author Emrys Myrddin’s beloved epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, and then destroys him.


Effy’s tattered, dog-eared copy is all that’s keeping her afloat through her stifling first term at Llyr’s prestigious architecture college. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to design the late author’s house, Effy feels certain this is her destiny.


But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn’t the only one who’s made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin’s papers and is determined to prove her favorite author is a fraud.


As the two rival students investigate the reclusive author’s legacy, piecing together clues through his letters, books, and diaries, they discover that the house’s foundation isn’t the only thing that can’t be trusted. There are dark , both mortal and magical, conspiring against them - and the truth may bring them both to ruin.


I cannot wait to start reading this book once it comes out. I have previously read The Wolf and the Woodsman, also by Ava Reid, and I absolutely loved it. The writing style was truly whimsical, making the reader feel like they were in a fairytale. That’s until you got to the really gory stuff. But, that was still entertaining to read.

The romantic aspect of the book was also really good, creating the perfect tension for an enemies-to-lovers subplot. Therefore, I think that A Study in Drowning will be all of those things and more. The synopsis is really promising and the reviews so far are glowing. I do think, however, that this is something a bit different than her previous works, genre-wise and, maybe, approach-wise.

I will be counting down the days until it releases!


2. This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The Shadows Between Us meets Six of Crows in this spellbinding new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, and pulse-pounding action, where the eldest daughter of a renowned family on the verge of ruin joins forces with a mysterious, rogue enchanter and a handsome, ambitious heir to win a deadly race.


Mikira Rusel’s family has long been famous for breeding enchanted horses, but their prestige is no match for their rising debts. To save her ranch, Mikira has only one option: she must win the Illinir, a treacherous horserace whose riders either finish maimed or murdered. Yet each year, competitors return, tempted by its alluring prize money and unparalleled prestige.


Mikira’s mission soon unites her with Arielle Kadar, an impressive yet illicit enchanter just beginning to come into her true power, and Damien Adair, a dashing young lord in the midst of a fierce succession battle. Both have hidden reasons of their own to help Mikira -- as well as their own blood feuds to avenge…


Steeped in Jewish folklore, This Dark Descent is a pulse-pounding new fantasy full of forbidden magic, sizzling romance, and epic stakes. In a world as dangerous as this, will the need for vengeance butcher Mikira’s chances of winning the Illinir … or will another rider’s dagger?


From the first line, I immediately added this book to my TBR(To Be Read) stack. One of my favorite fantasy series is Six of Crows, so any book that is even remotely similar to it, I will read. I haven’t been the biggest fan of The Shadows Between Us, but I liked the romance, so that’s promising enough.

I haven’t read any of her other books, but I am pretty sure I will not be disappointed by this one. I don’t think I ever read a book that had or was based on Jewish mythology, but I can’t wait to learn more about it. When I was just 12 I was introduced to the worlds of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology (thanks Rick Riordan), so I love mythology-based books.

Also, we have to talk about the magical horse-racing competition. That is such a unique trope of the book, that it has to be interesting for the readers.

This book seems like a great mix of everything: a magical competition, a romance, Jewish folklore, and, of course, betrayal. I can’t wait for its release!


3. The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn’t uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.


Not literally, of course. She doesn’t believe in ghosts. Going to her dad’s school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.


But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe—probably—definitely—a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.


When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library’s secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.


Except following her father’s footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren’t just myth. And if she isn’t careful, she’ll be next.


I will be reading this book on October 31st. It’s decided. What is more Halloween-y than a book about a haunted boarding school, with a really spooky library, where people keep going missing? Nothing.


This seems to be her debut novel, so congratulations! From the synopsis I can tell that the writing style won’t disappoint. I am also really curious about the way she will write a romance between a ghost and a person. I haven’t read any ghost romances before, so that’s also something to be looking for. This book sounds like a truly engaging story that will be hard to put down. I will let you know about my thoughts on it after October 31st.


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