I always love June; the nights are getting longer, and the days are getting warmer. And not entirely unimportant: it’s the month that where slowly things are starting to open up again!
Anway, you can find the list with the best fantasy & sci-fi book releases of May 2021 below!
Check out the different titles with genres in the overview, and click on the titles you’re interested in to jump to that book for more information.
The book I’m still reading for this month is The Witness for the Dead (Adult Fantasy Sci-Fi).
Sci-Fi YA
- The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer: YA Sci-Fi Romance
- Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta: YA Sci-Fi Romance, LGBTQ
- Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy: YA Distopian Sci-Fi Thriller
- The Orpheus Plot by Christopher Swiedler: Middle Grade Sci-Fi Adventure
Sci-Fi Adult
- Into the Lightning Gate (Gates Saga #1) by Robert Roth: Adult Sci-Fi Action Thriller
- The Ninth Metal (The Comet Cycle #1) by Benjamin Percy: Adult Dark Sci-Fi Thriller
- When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson: Adult Dystopian Sci-Fi Crime
- Boundless (The Lost Fleet: Outlands #1) by Jack Campbell: Adult Military Sci-Fi
Fantasy YA
- Witchshadow (The Witchlands #4) by Susan Dennard: YA Paranormal Fantasy, Witches
- Blood Like Magic (Blood Like Magic #1) by Liselle Sambury: YA Urban Fantasy, Witches
- Sisters of the Snake (Ria & Rani #1) by by Sasha Nanua & Sarena Nanua: YA Fantasy Retellings
- Darling by K. Ancrum: YA Fantasy Retelling, LGBTQ
- Girls at the Edge of the World by Laura Brooke Robson: YA Sci-Fi Fantasy Romance, LGBTQ
Fantasy Adult
- The Jasmine Throne (Burning Kingdoms #1) by Tasha Suri: New Adult Fantasy, LGBTQ
- The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo: Adult Coming-of-Age Historical Fantasy, LGBTQ
- The Hidden Palace (The Golem and the Jinni #2) by Helene Wecker: Adult Magical Realism, Historical Fiction
- The Witness for the Dead (The Goblin Emperor #2) by Katherine Addison: Adult Sci-Fi Fantasy
- ExtraOrdinary #1 (ExtraOrdinary Graphic Novels #1) by V.E. Schwab, art by Enid Balám: Adult Urban Fantasy, Graphic Novel
- Neon Gods (Dark Olympus #1) by Katee Robert: Adult Fantasy Romance Retellings, Greek mythology
What I Read: Book Releases June 2021
The Witness for the Dead (The Goblin Emperor #2) by Katherine Addison
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy Mystery
Pubdate: 22nd of June
Publisher: Tor Books
So, while it says it’s #2, it’s actually a standalone novel. But it is set in the same world as The Goblin Emperor. So, Maia, the young half-goblin emperor, wanted to know who had killed his father and half-brothers, and then he turned to a Witness for the Dead named Thara Celehar.
Thara Celehar lives far from courts, in somewhat of a quasi-exile, serving the common people of the city. His duty is communicating with the dead. Still, Celehar will follow the truth wherever it leads him and no matter who may be implicated in murder, fraud, or ancient injustices.
I finished this book in only two days. Just to paint the picture more clearly: on average, a book like this would take me a week or so.
Make of that what you will.
I have to admit; I did have to get into it at first. The language use, difficult terminologies, and overly formal dialogue threw me off. However, once I got into it (and luckily, the dialogue wasn’t always that formal), I was hooked and found it very difficult to put the book away. Hence the two days.
It felt extremely satisfying to watch those plots weave themselves together, all the way to the final climactic moment, and we find out what actually happened. The ending in itself was satisfying but bittersweet.
Celahar was also a very likable character. He wants to do the right thing and make sure the dead have their justice. At the same time, he’s very self-conscious, always expecting people to think the worst of him and being afraid. It broke my heart a little bit each time he felt surprised that someone would actually treat him with kindness and gratitude.
If you enjoy a good murder mystery set in a fascinating magical world, with likable and memorable characters (although all have difficult names), you won’t be disappointed with this one.
Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Releases June 2021
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Genre: Adult Coming-of-Age Historical Fantasy, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 1st of June
Publisher: Tordotcom
Are you ready for a fantastical and diverse retelling of The Great Gatsby?
Jordan Baker grows up in the roaring 20s in America. She’s rich, has good education, is a magician, and gets invitations to the most exclusive parties. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction. The most important doors still remain closed to her. Still, it’s a world full of wonders, with infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts, and elemental mysteries.
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Romance, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 1st of June
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
When the distress signal of the first settler on Titan is tripped, none of the countries on Earth can afford a rescue mission on their own. And so, two sworn enemies are put in the same spaceship: Ambrose and Kodiak. However, when Ambrose wakes up on the ship, he’s got no memory of the launch, and there’s evidence that strangers have been on board. In the meantime, Kodiak has barricaded himself away. Nothing will stop Ambrose from making the mission succeed, though; not when he’s rescuing his own sister. Ambrose and Kodiak need to work together and learn to trust each other to survive the ship’s secrets.
The Ninth Metal (The Comet Cycle #1) by Benjamin Percy
Genre: Adult Dark Sci-Fi Thriller
Pubdate: 1st of June
Publisher: Mariner Books
A comet crashed down on Earth in Northfall, Minnesota. Among the wreckage, a new metal was discovered with properties that make it both a world-changing energy source and a weapon. When John Frontier returns home for his sister’s wedding, he finds his family embroiled in a cutthroat war to control the metal’s mineral rights and mining operations. The greatest threat to his father’s legacy might just be the US government.
Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy
Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller
Pubdate: 1st of June
Publisher: MCD
Josephine Morrow is the first of nine Miracle Babies, conceived without male DNA. She’s raised on an experimental commune known as the Homestead. A suspicious fire destroys the commune, claiming two Homesteaders’ lives and scattering the remaining Girls and Mothers across the US. Years later, her mother goes missing, and Josie sets off on a desperate road trip to track down her estranged sisters. Josie joins forces with the other Girls, tracing the clues her mother left behind, facing down those who want to eradicate their very existence. Together, they uncover secrets about their origins and unlock devastating abilities they never knew they had.
Neon Gods (Dark Olympus #1) by Katee Robert
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance Retellings, Greek mythology
Pubdate: 1st of June
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus to start over, far away from the backstabbing politics. But when her mother pushes an engagement with Zeus, that plan is ripped away from her. And so, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with the man who lives there: Hades. After years of living in the shadows, Hades has no intention of stepping into the light. But with Persephone, he sees a slight possibility of the revenge he craves. But soon, it starts to evolve into something more, and Hades finds himself willing to go to war with Olympus itself if it means he can keep Persephone close.
Into the Lightning Gate (Gates Saga #1) by Robert Roth
Genre: Adult Sci-Fi Action Thriller
Pubdate: 7th of June
Publisher: Jetspace Studio
Cameron Maddock always knew he was different—he just didn’t know quite in what way. But he finds out when an ordinary day turns into a nasty encounter with an otherworldly foe. He’s put in an interdimensional game of cat and mouse, leading him to places he’s never even imagined. Cam finds himself at the center of a cosmic conspiracy that shakes the foundations of everything he knows.
Genre: Adult Magical Realism, Historical Fiction
Pubdate: 8th of June
Publisher: Harper
Chava is a golem: a woman made of clay. She can hear the thoughts and longing of the people around her and is compelled to help them. Ahmad is a jinny: a free-spirited create of fire, imprisoned in the shape of a man. Both of them hide their true forms and pretend to be human for fear of being called monsters. They’re just two immigrants in 1900s Manhattan. While Chava and Ahmad’s lives are entwined, they’re not sure what they mean to each other.
The story follows their lives and those of others as they collide and interleave. Can Chava and Ahmad find their places in the human world while remaining true to each other? Or will their opposing natures and desires tear them apart?
Girls at the Edge of the World by Laura Brooke Robson
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Fantasy Romance, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 8th of June
Publisher: Dial Books
Only a few chosen are guaranteed safe passage into a new world when the current one is bound for an epic flood. Of course, the Kostrovian royal court will be saved, along with their guards. But what about their Royal Flyers? Their fate is less certain. Natasha Koskinen, Principal Flyer, will do anything to save the Flyers. Even if that means she could be courted by Prince Nikolai. However, she doesn’t know that her newest recruit, Ella Neves, is driven more by revenge than survival. Ella could very well put everything Natasha has worked for in peril.
The Jasmine Throne (Burning Kingdoms #1) by Tasha Suri
Genre: New Adult Fantasy, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 10th of June
Publisher: Orbit
This is a story inspired by India, with a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic. Malini is imprisoned by her dictator brother, so she spends her days in isolation in the Hirana. This is an ancient temple that was once the source of powerful, magical deathless water, but now just a ruin. Priya, the maidservant, is one of several making the journey to the top of Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. But then Malini sees Priya’s true nature, and their destinies become entangled: a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne, and a priestess seeking to find her family.
Sisters of the Snake (Ria & Rani #1) by by Sasha Nanua & Sarena Nanua
Genre: YA Fantasy Retellings
Pubdate: 15th of June
Publisher: HarperTeen
Princess Rani longs to escape her gilded cage, while Ria is a street urchin, stealing just to stay alive. When their lives collide, everything turns on its head because the two look unmistakably identical. And so they switch places and work together to save their home from the danger that lurks.
Boundless (The Lost Fleet: Outlands #1) by Jack Campbell
Genre: Adult Military Sci-Fi
Pubdate: 15th of June
Publisher: Ace
John Geary believed in the Alliance, even when he found evidence that some high officials were involved in secret programs and prison camps. He still believed the Alliance worth saving. He also felt it was his duty to reveal the truth, even if it would cause the Alliance to crumble. But when he brings the evidence to the capital star system, he soon finds himself narrowly surviving two assassination attempts. He realizes that some decided that the easiest way to make the problem go away is to make him go away.
Blood Like Magic (Blood Like Magic #1) by Liselle Sambury
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy, Witches
Pubdate: 15th of June
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Voya Thomas has waited years for her Calling; a trial every witch must pass to come into their powers. She didn’t expect it to end in failure. However, she’s given a second chance but is horrified to learn that the task for her second attempt is to kill her first love. And if she fails, every Thomas witch will be stripped of their power. Voya is determined not to let this happen, whatever the cost may be. The only problem: she’s never been in love. So she first needs to find a guy to fall in love with. She joins a genetic matchmaking program and gets paired up with Luc, who seems to want nothing to do with her. So how can she fall in love? Still, she soon finds herself caught between her morality and her duty, but how can she save both their heritage and Luc?
The Orpheus Plot by Christopher Swiedler
Genre: Middle Grade Sci-Fi Adventure
Pubdate: 15th of June
Publisher: HarperCollins
Lucas Adebayo grew up in a small ship in the asteroid belt with the dream of joining the Navy. Though they never accepted a Belter before, his skill secures him a place on the training ship: the Orpheus. Lucas struggles to find his place on the ship. As a Belter, he’s an outsider among his peers, and he doesn’t fit in at home anymore, either. Things get worse when he’s caught between his past and his future when a Belter rebellion puts everyone’s lives at risk.
Witchshadow (The Witchlands #4) by Susan Dennard
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy, Witches
Pubdate: 22nd of June
Publisher: Tor Teen
While Iseult has found her heartsister Safi, the reunion is only brief. Iseult needs to flee Cartorra to stay alive, and Safi remains behind. While Iseult has a plan to save her, it requires magic more dangerous than anything she’s faced before. Besides, the Bloodwitch Aeduan is beset by forces beyond his comprehension. And Vivia, the rightful Queen of Nubrevna, has neither crown nor home. Villains from legend reawaken across the Witchlands, and only the mythical Cahr Awen can stop the gathering war. Iseult can embrace this power and heal the land, but first, she needs to choose on what side of the shadows her destiny lies.
Darling by K. Ancrum
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 22nd of June
Publisher: Imprint
When a boy called Peter appears at her window, Wendy Darling agrees to join him for a night on the town. She thinks they’re heading to a party but instead, they’re running in Chicago’s underground. She makes friends with a punk girl named Tinkerbelle and the lost boys. She also makes enemies with the terrifying Detective Hook. And perhaps she also makes an enemie out of Peter when his sinister secrets start to come to light. Can Wendy find the courage to survive this night?
ExtraOrdinary #1 (ExtraOrdinary Graphic Novels #1) by V.E. Schwab, art by Enid Balám
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy, Graphic Novel
Pubdate: 23rd of June
Publisher: Titan
After reading Vicious, I’m officially a fan of the Villains novels, and I have no doubt that this graphic novel will be great as well. Here, we follow Charlotte Tills, who becomes ExtraOrdinary after surviving a deadly crash. She gains the ability to foresee someone’s death. But when she looks at her own future, all she sees is the face of notorious EO killer Eli Ever.
Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Romance, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 29th of June
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
War and oppression rule in the Badlands, people being kept in check with the help of the giant mechanized weapons known as Windups. Eris Shindanai is a Gearbreaker, someone who specializes in taking down Windups from the inside. Unfortunately, one of her missions goes awry and she ends up in a Godolia prison. Here, she meets Sona Steelcrest, a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot. And Sona has a secret: she infiltrated the Windup program to destroy Godolia from within. Together, Eris and Sona plan to end Godolia’s reign once and for all.
When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson
Genre: Adult Dystopian Sci-Fi Crime
Pubdate: 29th of June
Publisher: Tor books
In the Caspian Republic, the last sanctuary for humans in a world run by artificial intelligence, if you stray from the path, your life is forfeit. When a Party propagandist is killed and discovered as a “machine”, Agent Nikolai South is given a mission: chaperone the widow, who has come to claim her husband’s remains. The widow, the first “machine” ever allowed into the country, has Nikolai reconsidering everything he knows. He’s thrown into a maelstrom of betrayal, murder, and conspiracy that may bring the Republic down for good.
Those were the Book Releases of June 2021
I hope you found some nice additions to your reading list among these best fantasy & sci-fi book releases of May 2021! Which ones are you most excited about? Let me know in the comments!
