I do love this time of month! May is my birthday month however which means I’ll likely go on (more or less) a book buying ban until after my birthday (a general rule I have to avoid double ups!). There are so many books here I’m excited about, though!

Namely, one must mention that Colleen Houck and Kiera Cass have new books coming out in May 2020 which is super exciting!!! I’m also planning on getting a Kindle this month (you have no idea how thrilling this is) so that I can read some eBooks I’ve been wanting to get to. Looks like a great month for books, if you ask me.

As always, this is not a comprehensive list of books coming out in May 2020, but a list of the books that I, personally, am interested in that I think you might be too!

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FANTASY

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea | Maggie Tokuda-Hall

RELEASE DATE: 5 May
This is a fantasy story following an orphan girl who disguises herself as a man and becomes a pirate to survive (who needs to read more than that to be sold?). It is an LGBT+ story featuring a captured mermaid that the two main ladies try to free and also an opportunistic witch. This ticks off everything on the list one could reasonably want from a sea-faring fantasy story!

House of Dragons | Jessica Cluess

RELEASE DATE: 12 May
You betcha I’m excited about this one because it has dragons in the title! Also swords on the cover. Basically, this meets all my requirements for a good book (I’m kidding). We have five royal houses competing for the right to the dragon throne after the current emperor dies. Usually, it is the oldest child from all the houses, who should have been preparing their whole life for this trial. But not this year. Instead, we have outcasts.

Burn | Patrick Ness

RELEASE DATE: 7 May
More dragons! And this time by popular author Patrick Ness. It’s 1956 and the main character’s father has hired a dragon to work the fields of their farm. I’m going to pause there and say, IS THAT NOT THE BEST PREMISE EVER? Okay but there are two types of dragons in this story and this dragon is a blue dragon, less rare. It also saves the main character and her friend from a racist police officer. And then things seem to take off and we have prophecies and dragon cults. I’m in.

 The Fascinators | Andrew Eliopulos

RELEASE DATE: 12 May
This is an interesting blend of genres. It looks and sounds like a contemporary but it’s actually YA LGBT+ fantasy. It’s set in a small town where the main characters are part of their school’s magic club—though it seems real magic happens here. One of them gets caught up with “sketchy magickers” over the summer and trouble begins. This is recommended for fans of Rainbow Rowell and Maggie Stiefvater, so I’m sure as hell interested.

Of Silver and Shadow | Jennifer Gruenke

RELEASE DATE: 26 May
This is set in a world where magic has been outlawed for a century. The main character? Yeah, she’s got magic: she’s a “silver wielder”. She gets by in the world by thieving until a rebel leader discovers her secret and makes her an offer she can’t refuse to join his cause. Then, behind the walls of the castle, there’s a competition between a brutal group of warriors called the “King’s Children” and whoever wins becomes the King’s “Fang” (right-hand man). There’s a lot going on in this story and I SO want to read it.

Forged in Fire and Stars | Andrea Robertson

RELEASE DATE: 5 May
Game of Thrones meets An Ember in the Ashes? Sounds good to me. This is about a girl who would be next in line to inherit the title of Loresmith: the blacksmith who serves alongside the King and Queen. Except the monarchy has fallen. BUT, the lost princess comes to find her one day with plans of retaking the throne throwing them both into adventure and danger which sounds like a whole heap of fun.

Dracula’s Child | J. S. Barnes

RELEASE DATE: 12 May
I’m always intrigued by any book that makes reference to Dracula, it’s so irresistible. This is a paranormal fantasy about vampires (obviously). We follow a family who slew Dracula himself but upon returning to England, none of them is happy. This is a family struggle doubled with an internal struggle of their son. Plus the threat of evil entering the company in the form of the import of a curious species of bats. I’m so curious where this is headed.

Last Memoria | Rachel Emma Shaw

RELEASE DATE: 10 May
This is a dark fantasy in which our main character steals dreams. She’s forced to use this ability by the king as his means of keeping his subjects in line. She wants to escape but then she meets a boy who has a six month void in his memories and he wants to know what they were. And he’s quite determined that she will help him find them. I think this sounds very intriguing and I’m excited to find out more!

Sunshield | Emily B Martin

RELEASE DATE: 26 May
This sounds super interesting! I don’t feel I can do this justice so here’s a direct snippet of the blurb:

The desolate canyons of Alcoro – and the people desperate enough to hide there – couldn’t be more different from the opulent glass palace and lush forests of Moquoia. But the harsh desert and gleaming court are linked through their past, present, and future: a history of abductions in the desert to power Moquoia’s quarries and factories, and a bleak, inhumane future built on the sweat and sacrifice of these bond laborers.

The Kingdom of Liars | Nick Martell

RELEASE DATE: 5 May
In this fantasy novel, people pay for magic with memories. It is a dark fantasy and the main character is accused of murdering the king’s son. He lives out his time as an outcast, scraping by with his sister by doing small and petty things against the crown as a form of rebellion. But he knows there’s a missing part of his memory and he’s sure it holds the truth about the king’s dead son. Finding his way back into court is the only way he can uncover the truth. This sounds fantastic!

The Betrothed | Kiera Cass

RELEASE DATE: 5 May
A new royal romance from Kiera Cass! This is very exciting news. Cass is the best selling author of The Selection series and I cannot wait to see what this has in store. This follows a woman who is delighted when she succeeds in winning the king’s affection and is set to become queen. But very quickly she works out it might not be all it’s cracked up to be.

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SCI-FI

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes | Suzanne Collins

RELEASE DATE: 19 May
This is a highly anticipated release for many people this month. It a huge prequel to the Hunger Games. I had originally thought that this was just a novella but this is actually over 500 pages long in its hardback edition. I’m on the fence as to whether I should get this or not because it’s been such a long time since Hunger Games. I’m very, very tempted.

 The Eleventh Gate | Nancy Kress

RELEASE DATE: 5 May
This has absolutely no advanced ratings on Goodreads yet which is so rare! A true space opera, this is about a war between the “Eight Worlds” and dynasties exploiting opportunities for the spoils of war. The key to victory or peace lies within the hand of two unexpected characters. This sounds good to me, the blurb doesn’t seem like the book will be saturated in science but more plot driven in a sci-fi setting. I’m excited!

Terraformer | Colleen Houck

RELEASE DATE: 12 May
GUYS YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I’m so excited. My favourite author, the light of my life, the brilliant woman Colleen Houck is releasing a new book this month!! This one is being independently published just like the fifth Tiger’s Curse book and The Lantern’s Ember and I cannot wait. I will be getting an eBook version of this as the physical editions aren’t available in Australia (devastated). This sounds like an exciting science fiction where the main character Astra is part of a fleet to terraform a planet, but there is theft, murder and heartbreak along the way. This will be Houck’s first dalliance into science-fiction!! OH MY GOD!

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HISTORICAL FICTION

The Jane Austen Society | Natalie Jenner

RELEASE DATE: 26 May
Is it just me or has there been a flurry of fiction about Jane Austen lately? In any case, this is quaint historical fiction about the current residents of the town where Jane Austen lived coming together in a tale of tragedy and romance to preserve her home and legacy. Sounds like a nice holiday read to me.

The Jewel Thief | Jeannie Mobley

RELEASE DATE: 26 May
Here we have a romance and a story centred around the Hope Diamond. This book is set in 17th Century France following a girl who is charged with stealing the Hope Diamond. This sounds like an interesting story with a complex main character – her confession being recorded by a scribe who is also the love of her life. I’m very intrigued to know more.

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CONTEMPORARY

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly | Jamie Pacton

RELEASE DATE: 5 May
I won’t lie, I’m not completely sold on this yet. I really like the cover. Like, I really like it. It screams the type of contemporary that is just fun to read. I do love judging books by their covers. There is definitely some low-key hype over this: it has a strong feminist plotline and involves knights (namely, the main character wanting to become one at the themed diner she works at). But I have also heard some not so great things about this dragging and forgetting to include the plot around the feminist fist-bumping. I will await further reviews before committing to this one.

Date Me, Bryson Keller | Kevin van Whye

RELEASE DATE: 19 May
They really got me with the comparative tagline for this: What If It’s Us meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. This is quite obviously an LGBT+ romantic contemporary and if it lives up to those comparisons, surely this will be a book I love. This is all about a dare where Bryson Keller must date someone new each week. This sounds cute and fun.

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THRILLER & MYSTERY

The Boy in the Red Dress | Kristin Lambert

RELEASE DATE: 12 May
This is an LGBT+ historical mystery that really makes me think of Agatha Christe. We have a pub called Cloak & Dagger, a body found at the bottom of a balcony and a boy in a red dress. Then, of course, there is a female detective trying to put the story together. I really like the sound of this!

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And that’s a wrap!

Will you be reading any of these?

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~~ Kirstie ~~

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