While it’s July right now, with plenty of amazing books to read, it doesn’t hurt to look and see the best fantasy & sci-fi book releases of August!
There are some amazing books being released in August. Perhaps it’s still early to look at it, but if you’re like me, you want to plan ahead for your reading. I just like to prepare, you know? So that eventually I read completely different books because I’m more of a mood reader anyway.
So, rambling aside, let’s check out the best fantasy & sci-fi book releases of August 2020!
Short Preview of Book Releases August 2020
A small pick from the books ahead.
Midnight Sun: THE book Twilight lovers have been waiting for!
Star Daughter: A YA contemporary Fantasy/Sci-fi about family, sacrifice & celestial beings.
The Mother Code: A gripping Sci-fi story that questions what it means to be human.
Harrow the Ninth: The sequel to Gideon the Ninth promises to be full of mystery and action.
Lobizona: YA Fantasy about a girl who’s not only an illegal immigrant but may not even be allowed to exist period.
Igniting Darkness: French court, a dead God, and not knowing who you can trust.
Ink & Sigil: He can magically enchant ink, but can only communicate in writing & speech apps while trying to solve the deaths of his apprentices.
Tender is the Flesh: What if we can’t eat animals anymore? What if the government declares humans can be slaughtered for meat?
Raybearer: A YA Fantasy about loyalty, faith, and strength.
The New Wilderness: A story about Man vs. Nature: can humans live in the wilderness without destroying it?
Paola Santiago and the River of Tears: A Mexican legend coming to life in this middle-grade fantasy.
Book Releases August 2020
Midnight Sun (Twilight Saga #5) – Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Audience: YA, New Adult
Pubdate: 4th of August
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Midnight Sun brings the Twilight from Edward Cullen’s perspective. It gives Twilight fans an insight into Edward’s past, his inner thoughts, and all the struggles he had when meeting Bella. How can he fall in love with Bella, knowing it endangers her life?
While I have read all the Twilight novels when I was younger, I’m not planning on getting the Midnight Sun any time soon. But I totally get it if you’re psyched to finally read the book that has been teased for years and years! If you do read it, I’d love to know what you’re thoughts were!
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Harrow the Ninth (the Locked Thomb #2) – Tamsyn Muir
Genre: LGBT Fantasy/Sci-fi
Pubdate: 4th of August
Publisher: Tor.com
Good news for fans of Gideon the Ninth! The sequel is coming in August! Harrow the Ninth is another mind-twist with mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Harrow the Ninth is about Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the last necromancer of the Ninth House. She has to fight an unwinnable war for her Emperor. However, her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and her mind is threatening to betray her. Is somebody trying to kill her?
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Lobizona (Wolves of No World #1) – Romina Garber
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pubdate: 4th of August
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Manuela Azul is an undocumented immigrant in Miami, Florida, who’s running from her father’s Argentine crime-family. But then, her mother gets arrested by ICE, and her surrogate grandmother attacked. Manu no longer has a home, and she investigates the only clue she has about her past: a mysterious “Z” emblem. This leads to a secret world, connected to her dead father, straight out of Argentine folklore. This folklore states that the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh son a lobizón (werewolf). As she traces her real heritage down, she discovers she’s not just illegal in the US, but her entire existence is illegal.
I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely gonna get this book when it gets out! It sounds really intriguing and has an important theme in discussing illegal immigrants.
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Igniting Darkness (Courting Darkness Duology #2)- Robin LaFevers
Genre: Historical YA Fantasy
Pubdate: 4th of August
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Supposed to be perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, and looking at the cover, it does kind of give off that vibe. The story’s about Sybella, a novitiate of the convent of Saint Mortain and Death’s vengeance on earth. She’s still upset about her God’s passing, but her sisters are on the run from their evil brother, so she stands alone as Duchess of Brittany’s protector. The only one there is her one true friend at court, a soldier known as Beast. After months, Sybella makes contact with Genevieve, a fellow novitiate, and a mole in the French court. No one can be trusted and the wolves are always waiting.
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Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop – Roselle Lim
Genre: Contemporary Magical Realism
Pubdate: 4th of August
Publisher: Berkley
Vanessa Yu can see people’s fortunes at the bottom of their teacups. So, she generally drinks coffee to avoid telling people their fortunes. To add to that, she has no romantic life to speak off, so her parents enlist a matchmaking expert from Shanghai. The day before her matchmaking, Vanessa sees her fate: death by a traffic accident. She knows she can’t live until she gets rid of her powers, so Vanessa leaves America and goes to Paris with her aunt Evelyn. While working at Evelyn’s tea stall, Vanessa performs her own type of matchmaking by helping her aunt reconnect with a lost love. She learns more about herself and her gifts and realizes: knowing one’s destiny isn’t a curse, but being unable to change it is.
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Set Fire to the Gods (Set Fire to the Gods #1) – Sara Raasch
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pubdate: 4th of August
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Ash vows to avenge the death of her mother by overthrowing the Fire God, whose temper has stripped her country of its resources. Madoc has a dangerous secret: he doesn’t have the earth God’s powers like his opponents, but he does have a rare elemental gift. While Ashes revenge plot goes wrong, Fire and Earth Gods into a conflict that can only be settled by deadly Gladiator games, which throws Madoc in Ash’s path. She realizes that Madoc’s powers are the weapon her rebellion needs, but Madoc does not readily cooperate. But when the Gods force Madoc’s hand, he and Ash uncover an ancient war that will unravel the world.
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Tender is the Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica
Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi
Pubdate: 4th of August
Publisher: Scribner
It all started with an infectious virus that made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then came the ‘Transition’: eating human meat, or ‘special meat’ is legal. Marcos works in one of the factories that slaughter humans for meat (although no one calls them human anymore). Then one day he gets some quality meat, and though he’s forbidden from personal contact, he does. And little by little he starts to treat her like a human again.
I don’t know about you, but this really speaks to me. As a vegetarian, I’ve questioned the worth of animal life and what we eat already a while ago, and it seems to me that this story raises that question as well. I’m definitely getting this book when it comes out!
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Sucker Punch (Anika Blake, Vampire Hunter #27) – Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Paranormal Urban Fantasy, Crime/Detective
Pubdate: 4th of August
Publisher: Berkley Books
Anita Blake goes to a tiny community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on an emergency consult. There is plenty of proof that a young wereleopard killed the uncle of a fellow U.S. Marshal in a gruesome way. But something seems off about the murder, and Anita realizes that the evidence doesn’t quite add up. However, time is against Anita, and fear against the supernatural is growing.
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Paola Santiago and the River of Tears (Paola Santiago #1) – Tehlor Kay Mejia
Genre: Middle-grade Fantasy
Pubdate: 4th of August
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. A schoolmate of theirs drowned there a year ago. But that’s not why Pao needs to stay away: her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths. Hating the superstitions, Pao meets-up with her friends to test out her new telescope near the Gila: it’s the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems mom might be right.
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Court of Lions (Mirage #2) – Somaiya Daud
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pubdate: 6th of August
Publisher: Hodder
Amani serves as the half-Vathek princess’s body double. But when the princess, Maram, discovered Amani’s connection to the rebellion, Amani is forced into silence. Amani is still desperate to help the rebellion, to fight for her people’s freedom. Will she step aside and watch her people suffer, or continue to aid them, and put herself and her family in mortal danger?
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Star Daughter – Shveta Thakrar
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy
Pubdate: 11th of August
Publisher: HarperTeen
Star Daughter is the debut novel of Shveta Thakrar, who writes South Asian-flavored stories. Star Daughter is no different, as it features Hindu mythology in a contemporary fantasy. The story is about Sheetal, who is the daughter of a star and a mortal (hence the title). Sadly, she accidentally hurts her very mortal dad with her starfire, and she needs a full star’s help to heal him. So, she goes to a celestial court where she must champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heaven’s — or never return to Earth again.
I don’t know about you, but I’m very intrigued by the premise! I love stories with Asian influences, and I like the idea of these celestial beings, and the added competition. This one will definitely be on my tbr list!
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The New Wilderness – Diane Cook
Genre: Dystopian Sci-fi
Pubdate: 11th of August
Publisher: Harper
The City is an over-populated, over-built metropolis where pretty much everyone lives. But the smog and pollution are slowly killing Agnes, Bea’s five-year-old daughter. What can she do? No one leaves the City: there’s nowhere else to go. As luck will have it, Bea and Agnes and eighteen others volunteer to live in the Wilderness State as part of a study. Can humans co-exist with nature? Can they be part of the wilderness without destroying it?
This novel seems to touch on an important subject: the immer old man vs. nature. Seems very intriguing!
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Raybearer (Raybearer #1) – Jordan Ifueko
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pubdate: 18th of August
Publisher: Amulet Books
Another debut, this time by Jordan Ifueko. Tarisai longs for the warmth of family after being raised in isolation by a mysterious and often absent mother known as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the empire of Aristar to compete with other children as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she joins the Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. Tarisai wants that closeness, but the Lady has other plans. She’s implanted a magical wish inside Tarisai that compels her to Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Is she strong enough to choose her own path?
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The Mother Code – Carole Stivers
Genre: Sci-fi
Pubdate: 25th of August
Publisher: Berkley
This is Carole Stivers’ debut novel, set in 2049. Scientists have their work cut out for them when a deadly non-viral agent spreads out of control; it could end the human race. Their last resort? Place genetically engineered children inside the cocoons of large-scale robots, raised by machines. Crazy, right? There is one hope of preserving the human order: a program coded into the machines to render their uniqueness, called the Mother code. Kai is born and raised by such a mother robot: Rho-Z. But when he comes of age, his mother transforms as well. Are they actually dangerous? Must they be destroyed? Will Kai fight for his mother and save his parent, or separate all ties with her?
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Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) – Ilona Andrews
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance, Urban Fantasy
Pubdate: 25th of August
Publisher: Avon
Ilona Andrews is actually a wife and husband writer duo. And Emerald Blaze is the fifth book in the Hidden Legacy series, a world where magic controls everything. Cataline Baylor is a Prime magic user, and she and her sisters have powers their grandmother would love to control. Caroline works as a deputy to the Warden of Texas, to oversee breaches of magic law, but that’s also not risk-free. When her house is under attack, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, yet dangerous Alessandro Sagredo — the Prime who crushed her heart.
I’ve never read any of the Hidden Legacy series, but it does seem like a fun and thrilling action-packed paranormal romance! Have you read any of the books in the series? Are you going to pre-order this one?
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The Nemesis (The Diabolic #3) – S. J. Kincaid
Genre: YA Fantasy/Sci-fi
Pubdate: 25th of August
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
The conclusion to the Diabolic trilogy is here in August. Tyrus Domitrian killed the woman he swore to love forever, three years ago. Now, the once-idealistic heir is the cruel Emperor Tyrus, ruling with an iron fist, capable of destroying planets with just one word. No one has the power to stand against him. Except… there are whispers that Nemesis is not truly gone, that she will rise, and rally the people to topple the man who was once her truest love.
This might become a theme, but I’ve never read this trilogy either. However, it does sound pretty cool! Have you read this series? Are you excited about the conclusion?
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Ink & Sigil (Ink & Sigil #1) – Kevin Hearne
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pubdate: 25th of August
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Al MacBharrais is blessed with an extraordinary white mustache, appreciated craft cocktails, and he can magically enchant ink. He uses it to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae. But, he’s also cursed: he can’t speak. Or rather, he can speak, but anyone hearing his voice will begin to hate him. So he only communicates in writing and speech apps. His apprentices also keep on dying because of freak accidents. But with the last death, Al discovers evidence, and Al is going to play the detective while avoiding actual detectives. It will lead him through Scotland’s magical underworld, together with the help of a mischievous hobgoblin.
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Blood of Zeus (Blood of Zeus #1) – Meredith Wild & Angel Payne
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Pubdate: 25th of August
Publisher: Waterhouse Press LLC
Kara Valari is a demon but tries very hard to forget it. Not only that, but the name Valari comes with paparazzi lenses and her family’s publicized dramas. She hides in the shadows of the lecture halls, knowing she’s expected to fulfill a much darker destiny after graduating from Los Angeles’s Alameda University. Professor Maximus Kane knows all about darkness, trying to master control until Kara walks into his toughest course. She’s everything he craves, but also everything he can’t have.
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What are you going to read in August?
So, those are the 18 most popular book releases of August. Which ones are you most excited for? As for me, I think I’ll be getting Star Daughter, Lobizona, Ink & Sigil, and, Tender is the Flesh.
If there are any other books coming out in August that you’re excited about but are not included in this list, just shoot me a message! I’ll be happy to add it!
