My most anticipated books of 2023 was my most popular post last year, with over 2,000 views, so I knew I had to do it again! A very special thank you for that, you can check that out HERE. And wow, was this a hard list to make. While making it, I kept getting more and more excited about the books that I added. I hope you are as well!
⭐️ Pierce Brown’s Red God is not on this list. Per Mike’s Book Reviews, it is likely to not be out until 2025. ⭐️
Before moving to the list, I want to express that I am looking forward to all the books I plan to read in 2024, and I’ll be making a 2024 TBR list that’ll drop sometime in the next two weeks, followed by my top reads of the year… so keep an eye out for those two!
NOW… TO THE 5!
5.) Lord of Demons (The Burning #3) by Evan Winter
Lord of Demons is the highly anticipated penultimate book to the Burning series, an epic fantasy story steeped in African lore. The intensity ramped up from book 1 to book 2, so I expect it to get even crazier, but just as beautiful with how Mr. Winter writes. While there is no official release date confirmation, Mr. Winter did express in a tweet on 7/23/23 “that it shouldn’t be too much longer”, and also said about the wait between book 2 and 3: “I’ll also do everything possible to make sure this is the longest wait between my books ever.” According to Bookhype.com, the release date is expected to be 3/21/24, so I had to go ahead and put it on this list… but again, no official confirmation.
4.) Bringer of Dust (The Talents #2) by J.M. Miro
Expected to be released 6/4/24. Book 1, Ordinary Monsters, was something very unique to read, it is historical fantasy and it reminded me a lot of The New Mutants which is a darker tale of an X-Men story, it also reminded me some of Stranger Things. On top of that, the narration by Ben Onwukwe was absolutely tremendous, he made the eerie scenes… more eerier. With such a dark story that is unlike most things out there, I had to add this to the list, because I’m feening for more of this world!
3.) Play of Shadows (Court of Shadows #1) by Sebastien de Castell
I absolutely love reading de Castell, especially the Greatcoats series, so when I saw that he was going back to that swashbuckling world of Tristia with Play of Shadows, I got very excited! What’s even better is that Play of Shadows takes place just a few months after the events of Tyrant’s Throne, the final book in the Greatcoats quartet, and will consist of an all new cast but will have some cameos from characters we already know and love… so I can’t wait to see one of my all time favorite characters, Falcio val Mond, back in action, even if it’s for a single line! This was originally expected to be released in 2021 but it hit some snags and is now officially coming out 4/2/24. I’m still hoping that The Broken Binding gets a chance to make a special edition of that series, because I’m going to be throwing money at it so fast! (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.)
2.) A Lion’s Pride (The Drowned Kingdom #4) by P.L. Stuart
A Lion’s Pride release date hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it is expected to be in the Spring. This series is probably one of the most underrated of the books I’ve mentioned. This is a dark, low fantasy series that is steeped in historical lore. I always look forward to getting to read these, because Stuart’s writing is incredibly detailed, his world is massive and his characters are unforgettable! I may actually be looking forward to book 5 a little more than book 4 since I get to be an ARC reader in late 24 for that one, but that won’t actually be out until Spring of next year. If you haven’t read this series yet, I highly implore you to do so. Book 1 has audio, the rest will get audio once the series is completed.
1.) Of Empires and Dust (The Bound and the Broken #4) by Ryan Cahill
Was there any question about where this would be? The Bound and the Broken is easily my favorite on-going series and Ryan is hands down one of my favorite authors and human beings. Ryan has said that he is aiming to get this out by late ‘24, and as an ARC reader, I will have this in my hands just a little bit sooner than the actual release, and with the way he writes, it should be very possible that he makes it. With this being the PENULTIMATE book of the series, to say I am excited is an understatement. Yes, after Of Empires and Dust, there is only one more novella and one more full novel left in this series, (though he does plan to do more in this world, but with new characters and a new timeline.)
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