To help your ever-growing TBR list, we’ll be highlighting fantasy novels coming out each month that you should put on your radar.
Our picks will be a mix of the latest installment in a beloved series, the beginning of a brand new series, or a standalone novel that you’ll want to sink your teeth into.
August’s picks feature the conclusion to a popular trilogy, a retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s The Goose Girl, assassins who aren’t cats, and more.
In order of release date, here are 5 fantasy novels we’re looking forward to reading in August:
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark – August 6
Eveen’s latest contract ends up being a much bigger job than she anticipated. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark hits shelves on August 6.
Book Description: Eveen the Eviscerator is skilled, discreet, professional, and here for your most pressing needs in the ancient city of Tal Abisi. Her guild is strong, her blades are sharp, and her rules are simple. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins―resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories — have only three unbreakable vows.
First, the contract must be just. That’s above Eveen’s pay grade.
Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen’s a professional. She’s never missed her mark.
The third and the once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen’s newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn’t supposed to remember and a vow she can’t forget.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher – August 6
Cordelia’s mother has every intention of luring the Squire into marriage, and it’s up to Hester to save her brother from this bewitching woman and maybe even save Cordelia as well. A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher releases on August 6.
Book Description: Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn’t allow Cordelia to have a single friend — unless you count Falada, her mother’s beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.
After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.
Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid – August 13
Ava Reid’s latest retelling puts a darker and more magical spin on one of Shakespeare’s well-known characters. Lady Macbeth releases on August 13.
Book Description: The Lady knows the stories: how her eyes induce madness in men.
The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.
The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of strategy, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.
But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armor. She does not know that her magic is greater and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.
She does not know this yet. But she will.
Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright – August 13
A magical serial killer is terrorizing the town, and the vampire king has tasked Samuel, Shan, and Isaac to putting a stop to the killings. Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright hits shelves on August 13.
Book Description: The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Blood Worker, Shan LeClaire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge.
Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he’s drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he’s worked so hard to avoid — and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king.
Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Bloodworker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan’s plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.
Wisteria by Adalyn Grace – August 20
The final book in the Belladonna trilogy is almost here. Blythe’s determined to annoy her new husband every day for the rest of their lives, but the more time she spends with him, the more she uncovers about her past. Wisteria by Adalyn Grace hits shelves on August 20.
Book Description: Blythe Hawthorn has never let anyone tell her what to do — not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her new life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side to herself that links her to his past, she’ll have to ask herself if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and if she’s willing to discover the truth about her past.
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What will you be reading in August? Share your picks in the comments below!
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Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with books and television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a book to read or a show to watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).
