Can you believe we’re almost half-way through October? It’s insane to see how fast time goes! But with that, the new fantasy & sci-fi book releases of November are also getting closer, so that’s a good thing.
If you feel November is still a bit too far away, you can also check out the releases of October here.
New Book Releases for November Overview
Jump straight to:
- Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer: YA Contemporary Romance with Magical Realism. Read if you wish to cast karma all around you.
- The Awakening (The Dragon Heart Legacy #1) – Nora Roberts: Adult Fantasy Romance with Dragons and Fae.
- Spellbreaker (Spellbreaker Duology #1) – Charlie N. Holmberg: YA Historical Fantasy, recommended if you love a more magical version of Robin Hood.
- The Haunting of Brynn Wilder – Wendy Webb: Paranormal Gothic Fantasy. A creepy mystery in an inn full of enigmatic strangers.
- Ruinsong – Julia Ember: Dark YA High Fantasy with LGBTQ characters. If you love a dark twist of magic and morally grey characters.
- Girls of Brackenhill – Kate Moretti: Adult Paranormal Gothic Fantasy. Mystery and ghosts.
- The Ravens (The Ravens #1) – Kass Morgan & Danielle Paige: New Adult Paranormal Urban Fantasy. Do you love stories with secret university societies and witch covens? This is the book for you!
- The Camelot Betrayal (Camelot Rising #2) – Kiersten White: YA Mythological Fantasy, King Arthur Retelling. A series for lovers of Arthurian literature, from the perspective of Guinevere.
- The Fires of Vengeance (The Burning #2) – Evan Winter: Adult Epic Fantasy/Sci-fi, with dragons!
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1) – Toshikazu Kawaguchi: Time-travel sci-fi, verging around the age-old question: what would you change if you could go back in time?
- The Forgotten Sister – Nicola Cornick: Historical Fantasy, with time-travel and mysterious secrets spanning centuries.
- This Is Not a Ghost Story – Andrea Portes: Paranormal Horror with a story where the house seems to be alive, and it has a score to settle. Housesitting comes with more dangers than thought…
- The Arrest – Jonathan Lethem: Dystopian Sci-fi, where we can no longer count on cars, airplanes, computers, and everything else we take for granted.
- The Bright and Breaking Sea (Captain Kit Brightling #1) – Chloe Neill: NA Fantasy Adventure Romance, if you love a tale with pirates.
- Soulswift – Megan Bannen: YA Fantasy featuring religions, Gods, Goddesses and their human vessels. Oh, and the possible destruction of Earth.
- Lost Roads (Broken Lands #2) – Jonathan Maberry: YA Dystopian Sci-Fi story with zombies.
- Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archive #4) – Brandon Sanderson: Adult Epic Fantasy from one of the most popular fantasy writers out there.
- These Violent Delights – Chloe Gong: Fantasy Romance, great if you love a darker and more violent Romeo & Juliet retelling
- Ready Player Two (Ready Player One #2) – Ernest Cline: Dystopian YA Sci-Fi. The sequel no one expected, but it’s here nonetheless!
- How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories – Holly Black: Fantasy Romance & Fairytale Short stories, all from the world we know from the Cruel Prince and the other books from the series.
- The Burning God (Poppy Wars #3) – R. F. Kuang: Adult Action Fantasy with the third installment of this popular series.
New Book Releases for November 2020
Spellbreaker (Spellbreaker Duology #1) – Charlie N. Holmberg
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Young Adult
Pubdate: 1st of November
Publisher: 47North
There are two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those born with the ability to break them. Orphan Elsie Camden is of the latter kind, but she also doesn’t have a license to use her magic. Still, she uses her gift for spellbreaking for an underground group known as the Cowls to push back against the aristocrats and help out the common people. Things turn for the worse, however, when magic-user Bacchus Kelsey catches her break an enchantment. Elsie strikes a deal: help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate for his silence. Elsie has much to learn about her powers, family, Bacchus, and the dangers shadowing every step of her destined journey. Will she uncover the mystery in time to save everything she loves?
The Haunting of Brynn Wilder – Wendy Webb
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Gothic
Pubdate: 1st of November
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Brynn Wilder escapes to a quaint boardinghouse for the summer after a devastating loss. She hopes it will help her put things into perspective. Her fellow lodgers all appear friendly strangers: the frail Alice, a married couple, the owner of the inn LuAnn, and the handsome Dominic. But in this refuge, a mystery begins to swirl. Alice seems to know things about Brynn that she shouldn’t, and Brynn suffers from bad dreams and night whispers. They lure her into a room heavy with the scent of recent death. She’s also drawn to Dominic, even though rumor has it death follows him. Something is calling for Brynn. To settle her past, all she can do is answer.
Girls of Brackenhill – Kate Moretti
Genre: Gothic Paranormal Thriller, Adult
Pubdate: 1st of November
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Ready for a ghost story? A newly engaged woman travels to her aunt’s storybook mansion in the Catskill mountains. Her aunt was killed in a car accident, and her uncle is ill and at the end of his life. But that’s not all: the Catskill mountains are the scene of her sister’s mysterious and traumatic disappearance sixteen years ago. Some family secrets don’t stay buried. Some old ghosts never go away.
Instant Karma – Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance, Magical Realism
Pubdate: 3rd of November
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Karma is real for overachiever Prudence Daniels. She’s a girl who’s always quick to judge people as lazy, rude, and arrogant. After a night out, she gets the power to do more than that: she can cast instant karma on those around her. Prudence starts using it with delight, punishing everyone from public vandals to karaoke heckler, until her powers keep backfiring on one person: Quint Erickson. He’s her slacker of a lab partner and her mortal enemy. Prudence is forced to learn more about herself, Quint, and her peers to find out how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed, and love and hate.
Lost Roads (Broken Lands #2) – Jonathan Mayberry
Genre: YA Dystopian Sci-Fi, Horror, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 3rd of November
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
There is a new cast of characters hanging out with the walking dead while exploring bizarre mutations, new human threats, and a nightmare landscape where nature goes wild.
The Ravens (The Ravens #1) – Kass Morgan & Danielle Paige
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Witches
Pubdate: 3rd of November
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Kappa Rho Nu isn’t just a sorority; they also have notorious parties and amazing fundraisers. But beneath it all, there’s even a deeper secret: they’re a coven of witches. Being part of the Kappa Rho Nu’s Ravens means a chance to redefine herself for Vivi Deveraux, and for Scarlett Winters, it means living up to her mother’s impossible expectations. Scarlett knows she’s the perfect candidate for being the next president, if only she didn’t have a human-sized skeleton in her closet. After initiation, Vivi and Scarlett find themselves sinking into the sinister world of blood oaths and betrayals.
The Camelot Betrayal (Camelot Rising #2) – Kiersten White
Genre: YA Fantasy, Mythology, Retelling
Pubdate: 10th of November
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Queen Guinevere and King Arthur are ruling Camelot side by side. Yet Guinevere is plagued by dreams of darkness and power. She struggles to find her place and thinks herself empty. She has Brangien, who pines for her lost love Isolde, Lancelot, who fights to prove her worth as Queen’s knight, and Arthur, who is everything to everyone but never quite enough for Guinevere. She’s lost sense of who she is. But one thing becomes clear: she doesn’t belong as Queen. When a rescue goes awry and results in the death of something precious, Guinevere returns to Camelot to find an even greater threat in the form of the real Guinevere’s younger sister. Is her deception at an end? And who is she really deceiving—Camelot, or herself?
The Fires of Vengeance (The Burning #2) – Evan Winter
Genre: Epic Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Adult, Dragons
Pubdate: 10th of November
Publisher: Orbit
Tau and his queen craft a dangerous plan to delay an impending attack by the indigenous people of Xidda. If Tau succeeds, the queen can take back her own city, where currently, her sister is preparing to ascend the throne as the ‘true’ Queen of the Omehi. If Tsiora succeeds and reclaims her throne, then the Omehi might stand a chance of survival.
The Forgotten Sister – Nicola Cornick
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Time-travel Sci-Fi, Mystery, Adult
Pubdate: 10th of November
Publisher: Graydon House
It’s 1560, Amy Robsart is trapped in a loveless marriage to Robert Dudley, a member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Amy has only one desperate attempt to escape. Still, it has consequences that will echo through the centuries. In the present day, Lizzie Kingdom is forced to withdraw from the public eye due to a scandal. She thinks her life is over. But then she encounters a young man called Johnny Robsart, whose fate interlaces with hers in unexpected ways. Johnny suspects Lizzie is linked to those secrets of the past. But is Lizzie brave enough to search for the truth?
The Arrest – Jonathan Lethem
Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi
Pubdate: 10th of November
Publisher: Ecco
The Arrest isn’t a dystopia, utopia, or post-apocalypse—it’s just what occurs when cars, guns, computers, airplanes, and the like quits working. Before, Sandy Duplessis had quite a good life as a screenwriter, but now things were different. Sandy is stuck in Maine, where he assists the butcher and delivers the food grown by his sister, Maddy, at her organic farm. But then his old friend Peter Todbaum shows up with an extraordinary vehicle: a tunnel-digger powered by a nuclear reactor. What is Todbaum up to? What are his motives? And does he need to be stopped?
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1) – Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Genre: Time-travel Sci-Fi, Contemporary Magical Realism, Adult
Pubdate: 17th of November
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
If you ever want the chance to travel back in time, you can find a café in a small back-alley in Tokyo. They don’t just serve the best coffee. Four customers visit the café in the hopes of traveling back in time, but it isn’t as simple as they thought—time-travel comes with rules. An important one is that you need to be back before the coffee gets cold.
This Is Not a Ghost Story – Andrea Portes
Genre: NA Paranormal Fantasy, Horror, Ghosts
Pubdate: 17th of November
Publisher: HarperTeen
Daffodil Franklin just wants a quiet summer before her freshman year at college and finds it with a job as a housesitter for a wealthy couple. But as time progresses, she starts to realize the house is more than it appears. It seems to close in on her, and she feels eyes on her everywhere she goes, pulling her back to the house. She doesn’t know housesitting comes with a steep price. The house has a grudge it needs to settle, and Daffodil is the key to doing it.
The Bright and Breaking Sea (Captain Kit Brightling #1) – Chloe Neill
Genre: Fantasy Romance, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Pirates
Pubdate: 17th of November
Publisher: Berkley
Kit Brightling worked hard to rise and become one of the few female captains of the Isles’ Crown Command and Queen Charlotte’s fleet. It’s a small and fast ship, in part because Kit has a magical affinity to the sea. Unfortunately, the Queen sends her on a special mission with a partner she doesn’t want: Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe. He’s a veteran of the Continental war, but Kit has dealt with one too many Beau Monde members. Still, they journey to a dangerous pirate quay and rescue a spy who’s been gathering intelligence on Gallia’s exiled emperor. Kit can lead her ship, but Kit and Rian must start to trust each other, or the Isles will fall.
Soulswift – Megan Bannen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pubdate: 17th of November
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
A girl who can channel the word of the One True God through song is called a Vessal. Gelya is one. As all Ovinists do, she believes that a saint imprisoned Elath the Great Demon centuries ago, thus saving humanity from earthly temptation. But when Gelya stumbles into a deadly cover-up, she teams up with Tavik, an enemy soldier, to survive. Tavik has a different belief: Elath is a mother Goddess who must be set free. But when he succeeds in opening Her prison, he turns Gelya into an actual human vessel. The church that raised Gelya now considers her a threat, so she and Tavik need to find a way to extract Elath’s presence from her body. But will this stop the end of the world, or will it cause the earth’s destruction? And what will happen to Gelya?
Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archive #4) – Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Pubdate: 17th of November
Publisher: Tor Books
Yet another series I need to finish before the fourth book comes out. Knowing the size of the books, I think my chances of finishing on time are slim.
Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have fought a brutal war against the enemy invasion for over a year. Neither side has gained the advantage so far.
However, new technological discoveries begin to change the face of war, and the enemy is preparing a bold and dangerous move. What follows challenges the core of the Radiant ideals, and might uncover secrete of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.
These Violent Delights – Chloe Gong
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy, Romance, Retellings (Romeo & Juliet)
Pubdate: 17th of November
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
It’s 1926 in Shanghai, and a blood feud between two gangs leaves the streets in red. Juliette Cai, a former flapper, has returned now to assume her role as the heir of the Scarlet Gang— a network of criminals rising above the law. Their rivals? The White Flowers and its heir, Roma Montagov. She was Juliette’s first love and first betrayal. However, both sides show signs of instability, gangsters clawing out their own throats. There is a contagion, a madness, a monster in the shadows. With death tolls rising, Juliette and Roma must work together to stop this mayhem before there is no more city left to rule.
Reading the description, it will not surprise you that this book is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
The Awakening (The Dragon Heart Legacy #1) – Nora Roberts
Genre: Fantasy Romance, Dragons, Fae, Adult
Pubdate: 24th of November
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
From the lake emerges a teenage warrior, holding a sword representing power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. Who is this warrior? Keegan, living in the realm of Talamh. However, in another realm we know as Philadelphia, a young woman has discovered another treasure: an investment account in her name. Breen Kelly is deep into student debt and working a job she hates, but the fund given by her long-lost father is worth nearly four million dollars—more than enough to change her life. Breen decided to travel to Ireland, but unexpectedly she unlocks mysteries she didn’t know were real. Why does she keep seeing a silver-haired, elusive man, and why does she hear his voice telling her to come home? Why does she keep dreaming of dragons? She soon finds out when a portal in Galway takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, where she meets Keegan and begins the journey of her true yet dangerous destiny.
Ruinsong – Julia Ember
Genre: YA High Dark Fantasy, LGBTQ, Retelling
Pubdate: 24th of November
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Cadence is a powerful mage but is forced to torture her country’s disgraced nobility at the queen’s bidding. But then she meets her childhood friend, a noblewoman with ties to the underground rebellion. She needs to choose: take a stand to free their country or become a monster like the queen.
Ready Player Two (Ready Player One #2) – Ernest Cline
Genre: Dystopian YA Sci-Fi
Pubdate: 24th of November
Publisher: Ballantine Books
So, it doesn’t state what the book will be about, only that it’s the sequel to Ready Player One. I’m not sure why there is a sequel, or why it’s coming out now. I don’t think Ready Player One needed a sequel, as it was a great stand-alone. Either way, I have no doubt it will be a great book.
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories – Holly Black
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance, Fae, Fairytales, Short Stories
Pubdate: 24th of November
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Autumn seems to be a good season for short stories! This book is also illustrated, and filled with short stories into the world that brought you The Cruel Prince, the world of Elfhame. Before the Cruel Prince became cruel or wicked, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. Read about a life before the Cruel Prince with stories told from Cardan’s perspective. There’s still plenty of romance, danger, drama and humor, where each chapter is accompanied by full-color artwork.
The Burning God (Poppy Wars #3) – R. F. Kuang
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Pubdate: 26th of November
Publisher: Harper Voyager
My still unread copy of the Poppy War is staring accusingly at me from my bookcase at this moment. Another book to read, and not enough time to read them all. Such a relatable struggle, right?
Fang Runin saved her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battled the evil Empress Su Daji, and was then betrayed and left for dead. So much for thanks. On the other hand, Rin hasn’t given up, and decides to return to her roots in the southern provinces, in the village called Tikany. While she doesn’t trust her new allies, Rin realizes the real power lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance. Determined, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. But even as her power grows, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s voice, urging her to burn the world and everything in it?
Wrap-up
And those are 21 of the best fantasy & Sci-Fi book releases of November 2020! Whew, that’s quite a bunch, ain’t it? I am super excited about These Violent Delights. I got some high hopes for that one! I also feel I should really start reading the Stormlight Archive and start with the Poppy War series. Also, Spellbreaker and the Bright and Breaking Sea sound really good. Ah, heck, all these books sound great. Why is it always so tough to choose?
Which release are you most excited for?
