Find the best new fantasy & sci-fi book releases for 2022 below.
I will update this post each month (to make sure the new books are up to date), and I’ll add the next months at the end of each quarter.
Meaning: in March, I’ll add April, May, & June. In June, I’ll add July, August, & September. And in September, I’ll add October, November, & December.
So, be sure to bookmark the page to get the most updated info on the new fantasy & sci-fi book releases!
Below the pic, you can browse by month or by genre (where you’ll find an overview of all the titles included in this post).
January 2022 New SFF Book Releases
Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom Duology #1) by Sue Lynn Tan
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy, Retelling
Pubdate: 11th of January
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Xingyin, while growing up on the moon, has no idea she’s being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when her magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home.
She makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, alone, powerless, and afraid. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.
The Beholden by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Genre: Adult Action Adventure Fantasy
Pubdate: 18th of January
Publisher: Erewhon
Celestia and Izara De Malena were orphaned as young women. They have a lot of land, but are running out of money. And so, Izara uses a spell she doesn’t fully understand, summoning the Lady of the Seraphine and demands a favor: a husband for Celestia, one rich enough to enable the sisters to keep their land. But a favor from a river goddess always comes at a cost…
And five years later, the Lady of the Seraphine comes back to collect.
It’s a slow-building story with some impeccable worldbuilding.
Personally, I thought the beginning was a bit too slow, as it takes quite a while for the characters to get started on their quest. I felt this all could’ve been done a bit quicker.
Other than that, I thought it was solid story, with an interesting magic system and an important message: decay and death are an important part in the circle of life.
36 Streets by T.R. Napper
Genre: Adult Cyberpunk Sci-Fi Thriller
Pubdate: 18th of January
Publisher: Titan Books
Lin “The Silent One” Vu is a gangster and sometimes private investigator. She lives in the Chinese-occupied Hanoi, in the paranoid alleyways of the 36 Streets.
She’s carved a place for herself in the Vietnamese underworld where she’s trained to fight and lead. Meanwhile, the people of Hanoi are succumbing to Fat Victory—an addictive immersive simulation of the US-Vietnam war.
When an Englishman comes to Hanoi on the trail of his friend’s murderer, Lin’s life is turned upside down, drawn into the grand conspiracies of the neon gods as they unleash dangerous new technologies.
A Letter to Three Witches by Elizabeth Bass
Genre: Adult Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Pubdate: 25th of January
Publisher: Kensington
Gwen Engel and her family have been banned from practicing witchcraft by the Grand Council of Witches as a result of her great-great-grandfather’s catastrophic spellcasting blunder. The Council even has anonymous snitches called Watchers in the community to report any errant spellcasting.
However, magic may still be alive in Zenobia. One day, Gwen and her cousins Trudy and Milo receive a letter from Gwen’s adopted sister, Tannith, informing them that she’s bewitched one of their partners and will run away with him at the end of the week. While Gwen frets about whether her boyfriend, who’s currently out of town, is going to run off with Tannith, she’s also worried that a grad student named Jeremy is secretly a Watcher.
Which is bad news when couin Trudy is so stressed out that she accidentally enchants her cupcakes. Perhaps it’s time the family took back control of their powers.
This is a quircky story, that reads quick & easy. There are some nice twists, and by the end, the characters will feel like good friends.
Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi
Genre: Adult Dystopian Sci-Fi
Pubdate: 25th of January
Publisher: Tordotcom
In the 2050s, those with the means and privilege have departed the great cities for the more comfortable confines of space colonies. Those left behind salvage what they can. But brick by brick, their houses are sent to the colonies, and what was once a home, is now a reminder of the world that they wrecked.
In this collection of stories, we see the life of a space-dweller looking at New Haven, Connecticut as a chance to reconnect with his spiraling lover. A group of laborers are attempting to renew the promises of Earth’s crumbling cities. Somewhere else, a journalist is attempting to capture the violence of the streets. And finally, a marshal is trying to solve a kidnapping.
February 2022 New SFF Book Releases
Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes & Stacey Kade
Genre: Adult Dark Sci-Fi Thriller
Pubdate: 8nd of February
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With no intention to return to Earth and nothing to lose, they investigate.
What they find is a shock: the Aurora—a famous luxury space-liner that vanished over twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick trip through the ship reveals that something isn’t right.
Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Words scrawled in blood. Claire must hold onto her sanity and find out what happened on the Aurora before she and her crew meet the same fate.
Eye of the Witch (Storm’s Rising #4) by Jason & Rose Bishop
Genre: Adult Dark Epic Fantasy
Pubdate: 12th of February
Publisher: Independent
In this fourth book of the Storm’s Rising series, we follow our five favorite companions as they travel across the Reaver Sea in search of the Codex. This is their only hope to unravel the mysteries of the Tome of Worms, so they can stop the swift expansion of Morab’s new empire.
Meanwhile, in the forgotten bowels of a city, A’lik prepares to lead a degenerate people to freedom, and himself to a past he cannot remember. But is there even freedom to be seized?
History and prophecy bloom with warnings for our heroes. Can Lendil and Phoenix set their roguish lives aside? Will Derek and Dia find purpose with her sister Meo returned to Eventhallia? And how will they be welcomed by the king of Alloyis?
House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: New Adult Action Urban Fantasy Romance
Pubdate: 15th of February
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Bryce and Hunt my have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Luckily, the Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving them alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing.
Bryce, Hunt, and their friends soon get pulled into the rebels’ plans, and the choice is clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been good at staying silent.
A Blessed Darkness by Elexis Bell
Genre: Adult Dark Fantasy Romance
Pubdate: 22nd of February
Publisher: Elexis Bell
Elairie, a mixed-blood elf living on the edge of society, serves as a night guard. All is well, until she meets her latest prisoner. Magical gravity draws her to him, no matter what her associates might say about his race. But that connection does come with a dark side.
The prisoner, Beluroan, learns that he and his guard are Blessed Ones, crafted by the Gods to stop a madman from recreating the Blood Magic of old. The return of that magic would mean the return of magical slavery, and fear grips Beluroan together with memories of his childhood Master.
Together, Elairie and Beluroan have a power that frightens even the Gods. Can they overcome the prejudice marring their land and master their new magic in time to stop the madman? Or will they succumb to their new power?
Only a Monster (Monsters #1) by Vanessa Len
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy
Pubdate: 22nd of February
Publisher: HarperTeen
Sixteen-year-old Joan was sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London. And she’s determined to enjoy herself. She loves her job at the historic Holland House, and when her cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like things are falling into place.
Until she finds out that her family isn’t just eccentric: they’re all monsters with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy—he’s a legendary monster slayer.
As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. And if she is to save herself and her family, she has to embrace her own monstrousness.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy, Retellings
Pubdate: 22nd of February
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Her people believe that the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride.
Many believe that Shim Cheong—the beloved of Mina’s older brother—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night of her sacrifice, Joon follows Cehong out to the sea—and interference leads to a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water instead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a young man named Shin, Mina sets out to wake the Sea God. But she doesn’t have much time: a human cannot live in the land of the spirits for long. And there are those who would do anything to keep him from waking…
March 2022 New SFF Book Releases
Freaks by Brett Riley
Genre: YA Dark Superhero Sci-Fi
Pubdate: 1st of March
Publisher: Imbrifex
Four friends who get bullied daily at their high-school accidentally open a portal to another dimension. This allows terrifying, other-worldly creatures to invade their small town. In addition, they now have strange superpowers.
The four teens dub themselves “Freaks,” the name their tormentors used to ridicule them. Together, the Freaks must fight to save the lives of family and friends and thwart a secret government task force that appears to be hunting them.
The Bone Wars (The Pirates of Montana #1) by Erin Evan
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy Thriller
Pubdate: 8th of March
Publisher: Inkshares
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Sixteen-year-old Molly Wilder is excited to start her summer internship in Montana, digging up fossils. By accident, Molly discovers a fossil that has a large wing structure, horned skull, and black bones. Nothing that has ever been seen before in dinosaurs. As such, neither her supervisor, Sarah, fossil hunter Derek Farnsworth, nor Dr. Sean Oliphant can place it.
But Molly knows what it is: a dragon.
Just how revolutionary this discovery is, becomes apparent when the BLM drops by and takes away all of their work. But are they really the BLM? And what are they trying to prevent to keep from the world? Are certain fossils truly worth killing for?
I’d recommend the book if you really love dinosaurs, would love to learn more about them and enjoy some mystery. Honestly, if dinosaurs aren’t really your thing, I don’t think you’ll enjoy this book as much. I did feel it had a not-so-satisfying twist ending, and I couldn’t quite connect with the characters.
Three Swords by C.L. Werner
Genre: Adult Action Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Pubdate: 1st of Feb (kindle) / 8th of March (paperback)
Publisher: Aconyte
The Warriors Three—Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun—encounter an ancient mystic who tells them the Enchanters Three are building armies with which to conquer the Realm Eternal. Through their use of the magically wicked Living Talisman, they have enough power to bring even Odin to heel. However, the three sorcerous brothers are scattered through time and space. As such, the Warriors Three are cast across the cosmos to strange worlds, risking their lives against unimaginable odds to stop the sorcerors and save Asgard.
The story is exactly as promised: fast-paced with lots of action. I felt there was a bit too much action, mostly because there seemed to be a repetitive pattern: they encounter some beast, creature, or sorcerer, they fight, they almost lose, and then one of them comes up with something and they emerge victoriously.
I would’ve liked some different sequences to shake things up a little. And the plot twist at the end was not really surprising.
That said, I still really enjoyed the novel. The characters keep everything light, and I enjoyed their banter. The worldbuilding was also really good, and I loved how the writer created the different worlds. Each had a very unique feel.
I’d recommend this book to any fan of Marvel, specifically if you love the Asgardian stories, whether they be the movies or the comics. And if you love a lot of fast-paced action, you’ll not be disappointed here.
Some disclaimers:
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL
Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
Genre: Adult Adventure Sci-Fi
Pubdate: 16th of March
Publisher: Solaris
Skyward Inn is a place of safety, where people come together to tell stories of the time before the war with Qita. Although… is there really any danger? Qita surrendered without complaint when Earth invaded. Innkeepers Jem and Isley, veterans from either side, have regrets but few scars.
However, their peace is disturbed when a visitor comes asking for help, bringing reminders of an unnerving past and triggering an uncertain future.
Did humanity really win the war?
April 2022 New SFF Book Releases
Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
Genre: YA Dark Historical Paranormal Fantasy
Pubdate: 5th of April
Publisher: Razorbill
Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere all her life. However, she’s resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. Until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town.
The hotel is legendary for its whimsical enchantments and for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. Jani and Zosa can’t afford the costs for a stay, but they can join the staff. Soon, they’re whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. However, once inside, Jani discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel hides dangerous secrets.
Saint Death's Daughter (Saint Death #1) by C.S.E. Cooney
Genre: YA Dark Coming-of-Age Fantasy
Pubdate: 12th of April
Publisher: Solaris
Miscellaneous “Lanie” Stones is born into a family of royal assassins. However, she has a vicious allergy to all forms of violence and bloodshed, and an uncanny affinity for bringing the dead back to life.
The family debt also looms, one that will have to be paid sooner rather than later if Lanie and her sister are to retain ownership of the ancestral seat, Stones Manor. She finds herself courted and threatened by powerful parties who would love to use her connection with the goddess of death for their own nefarious ends. However, the goddess has other plans…
The Girl and the Moon (Book of the Ice #3) by Mark Lawrence
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Pubdate: 26th of April
Publisher: Ace
I’m personally super excited for this book, the conclusion of the Book of Ice!
Yaz has made it to the green world, and it overwhelms all of her expectations. But although everything seems different, her old enemies are still bent on her destruction. To stand a chance against Eular, the eyeless priest, and Seus, the god-like city-mind, Yaz needs to make new friends—and fast. However, the Convent of Sweet Mercy, like the Corridor, is packed with both peril and opportunity. She needs the nuns’ help, but they also first want to execute her.
The fate of everyone within the Corridor’s walls and those who are surviving out on the ice depends on the moon, and the battle to save the moon centers on the Ark of the Missing, buried beneath the emperor’s palace. Everyone wants Yaz to open the Ark, but sometimes wanting isn’t enough.
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Genre: Adult Dark Fantasy Fairytale Retelling
Pubdate: 26th of April
Publisher: Tor Books
Marra has seen her sisters suffer for years at the hands of an abusive prince. And now, she’s finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. So, she seeks help from a powerful gravewitch, and is offered the tools to kill a prince. But only if she can complete three impossible tasks.
On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. These five are intent on being the ones to kill the prince and free Marra’s family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler.
Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky #2) by Rebecca Roanhorse
Genre: Adult Epic Fantasy, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 12th of April
Publisher: Saga Press
This second book is the sequel to Black Sun. The great city of Tova is shattered, the sun held within the smothering grip of the Crow God’s eclipse. The rise of a new order is imminent.
Xiala, a sea captain, is swept up in the chaos of change and finds an unexpected ally in the former Priest of Knives. Tense alliances are forming as enemies gather and the war in the heavens is reflected upon the earth.
For Serapio and Naranpa, now both living avatars, the struggle for free will and personhood in face of destiny rages. How can Serapio stay human when he is steeped in prophecy and surrounded by those who only want his power? Does Naranpa have a future in a transformed Tova that doesn’t lead to her total destruction?
May 2022 New SFF Book Releases
Dracos Anthology by K.M. Jenkins, Ashley Brion, Cassie Greutman, Clarissa Gosling, Diana Dawn, Megan Grooms, Melinda R. Cordell, Mk Mancos, September North, Skye Deva, & Sofia Ann Hoffman
Genre: YA Fairy tale & Folklore Fantasy Anthology
Pubdate: 3rd of May
Publisher: Storyteller Collectables LLC
Love stories about dragons? Then this book is perfect for you, with a collection of YA short stories filled with dragons. All are fantastical journeys of love and friendship, with first loves and forbidden romances and a path of trial and error.
Book of Night by Holly Black
Genre: Adult Dark Urban Fantasy
Pubdate: 3rd of May
Publisher: Tor Books
In Charlie’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment, cosmetic preferences, or to increase power and influence. It’s possible to alter someone’s feelings and memories, but manipulating shadows has a cost. It can take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.
Charlie is a low-level con artist, trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. This seems to fail when a terrible figure from her past returns, and her life is thrown into chaos. Determined to survive, she throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a wide cast of antagonists, all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
Genre: Adult Historical Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 10th of May
Publisher: Tordotcom
Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. She knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl, but she doesn’t care. She’d rather play a monster than a maid.
But the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything: from her face to her name to the women she loves. They run a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. However, Luli is willing to do whatever it takes, even if that means becoming the monster herself.
A Rip Through Time (A Rip Through Time #1) by Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Adult Historical Time Travel Mystery Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Pubdate: 31st of May
Publisher: Minotaur Books
In 2019, homicide detective Mallory is in Edinburgh to be with her dying grandmother. When she’s out on a jog one evening, she hears a woman in distress. Drawn to an alley, she’s attacked and loses consciousness.
Until she wakes up in 1869, in Catriona’s body, the woman who had been strangled and left for dead in the exact same spot Mallory was strangled—only one-hundred-and-fifty years earlier. Mallory has to put aside her shock and adjust quickly to her new reality: life as a housemaid to an undertaker in Victorian Scotland. Her boss, Dr. Gray, also moonlights as a medical examiner and has taken on an intriguing case: the strangulation of a young man, similar to the attack on herself. Her only hope in ever getting back to her modern life seems to be catching the murderer.
June 2022 New SFF Book Releases
The Song That Moves the Sun by Anna Bright
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Pubdate: 28th of June
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rora doesn’t want to be afraid anymore—she’s exhausted by a mind that sees everything through a prism of fear. Claudia would do anything to ease her friend’s anxiety, but lately, her own life has been spiraling out of control.
The world is descending into chaos. Every day brings more alarming news: accidents, surging crime statistics, and natural phenomena scientists can’t explain. Then they meet two boys at a concert and discover something has definitely gone wrong with the universe. Major and Amir come from one of nine secret cities of the spheres, ruled by the magic of the astrological signs. There’s a disruption in the magical symphony that maintains the balance between the worlds. And they need help.
The Dream Runners by Shveta Thakrar
Genre: YA Mythological Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Pubdate: 28th of June
Publisher: HarperTeen
Tanvi was spirited away to the subterranean realm of Nagalok seven years ago. Here, she joined the ranks of the dream runners: human children freed of all memory and emotion, charged with harvesting mortal dreams for the consumption of the naga court.
Venkat knows a different side of Nagalok. He’s an apprentice to the influential Lord Nayan, where he shapes the dream runners’ wares into the kingdom’s commodity. And Nayan has big plans: with a dreamsmith of Venkat’s talent, he believes he can use them to end the war between the nagas and the garudas.
However, when one of Tanvi’s dream harvests goes awry, she begins to remember her life on Earth. Panicked, she turns to the one mortal in Nagalok who might help: Venkat. In their search for answers, a terrifying truth begins to take shape—one that could turn the realm of dreams into a land of waking nightmares.
Godslayers (Gearbreakers #2) by Zoe Hana Mikuta
Genre: YA Romance Sci-Fi, LGBTQ
Pubdate: 28th of June
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
The cost of victory against Godolia has been steep for the Gearbreakers. Months later, the few rebels who managed to escape the bloody retribution have fled to the mountains, hunted by the last Zenith—Godolia’s only surviving leader.
Eris has been held prisoner since the attack on the capital city, and she begins to wish the attack had just killed her. Until she discovers the girl the loves, Sona, also survived and was captured and Corrupted by the Zenith through cybernetic brainwashing. Sona now believes herself to be a loyal soldier for Godolia, and Eris’ mortal enemy.
Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert
Genre: YA Dark Paranormal Urban Fantasy
Pubdate: 28th of June
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Ivy’s summer break kicks off with an accident, punishment, and mystery—a stranger appeared in the middle of the road in the middle of the night, heralding a string of increasingly unsettling events. After a few days, Ivy received eerie offerings, corroded memories, and a secret she’s always known—that there’s more to her mother than meets the eye.
Dana has always been perceptive. With the help of her best friend and an ambitious older girl, her gifts bloom into a heady fling with the supernatural at sixteen. But as their aspirations darken, the trio find themselves speeding toward a violent breaking point.
Years after it began, Ivy and Dana’s shared story will come down to a reckoning among a daughter, a mother, and the dark forces they never should’ve messed with.
Those were the Best Book Releases of 2022
I hope you found some nice additions to your reading list among these best fantasy & sci-fi book releases of 2022!
Which ones are you most excited about?
Let me know in the comments!