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.
October’s picks feature epic journeys, the fight to save a fallen city, the wild hunt, and more.
In order of release date, here are 5 fantasy novels we’re looking forward to reading in October:
1. Heir by Sabaa Tahir – October 1
Sabaa Tahir is taking us back into the world of An Ember in the Ashes with a brand new duology that follows a new trio as they make their way in this world. Heir by Sabaa Tahir releases on October 1.
Book Description: An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.
And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.
Banished from her tribe for an unforgiveable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who speaks to the earth, air, and water to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But then, she falls for a charismatic and inconvenient fugitive who keeps getting in her way.
QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire, nephew of a famed and venerated empress, but he’s loathe to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. As the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.
2. The City in Glass by Nghi Vo – October 1
This is a story of a demon and her angel and the city at the center of their relationship. The City in Glass by Nghi Vo releases on October 1.
Book Description: The demon Vitrine — immortal, powerful, and capricious — loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.
And then the angels come, and the city falls.
Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost — and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.
She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.
Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.
3. The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd Jones – October 8
Emily Lloyd Jones takes us back into the world of the Bone Houses for another standalone story. This time, we’re partaking in a Wild Hunt and joining those who want to win the grand prize: a wish granted by the Otherking. The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd Jones hits shelves on October 8.
Book Description: Every five years, two kingdoms take part in a Wild Hunt. Joining is a bloody risk and even the most qualified hunters can suffer the deadliest fates. Still, hundreds gamble their lives to participate — all vying for the Hunt’s life-changing prize: a magical wish granted by the Otherking.
BRANWEN possesses a gift no other human has: the ability to see and slay monsters. She’s desperate to cure her mother’s sickness, and the Wild Hunt is her only option.
GWYDION is the least impressive of his magically-talented family, but with his ability to control plants and his sleight of hand, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his cruel older brother from becoming a tyrant.
PRYDERI is prince-born and monster-raised. Deep down, the royal crown doesn’t interest him — all he wants is to know is where he belongs.
If they band together against the monstrous creatures within the woods, they have a chance to win. But, then again, nothing is guaranteed when all is fair in love and the Hunt.
4. Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim; translated by Anton Hur – October 8
Arienne, Loran, and Cain find themselves embarking on an epic journey as they fight for what they want, whether it’s a different future or revenge. Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim and translated by Anton Hur releases on October 8.
Book Description: There is no escaping the Empire. Even in death, you will serve.
In an Empire run on necromancy, dead sorcerers are the lifeblood. Their corpses are wrapped in chains and drained of magic to feed the unquenchable hunger for imperial conquest.
Born with magic, Arienne has become resigned to her dark fate. But when the voice of a long-dead sorcerer begins to speak inside her head, she listens. There may be another future for her, if she’s willing to fight for it.
Miles away, beneath a volcano, a seven-eyed dragon also wears the Empire’s chains. Before the imperial fist closed around their lands, it was the people’s sacred guardian.
Loran, a widowed swordswoman, is the first to kneel before the dragon in decades. She comes with a desperate plea, and will leave with a sword of dragon-fang in hand and a great purpose before her.
In the heart of the Imperial capital, Cain is known as a man who gets things done. When his best friend and mentor is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war.
5. For She is Wrath by Emily Varga – October 29
A reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo, this novel follows Diana as she plots her revenge on Mazin. When another prisoner mentions a djinn treasure, they both escape prison to track the treasure down. For She is Wrath by Emily Varga hits shelves on October 29.
Book Description: Three hundred and sixty-four days.
Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved — and still can’t forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance — a stolen djinn treasure — they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure.
Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance — and her heart to the only boy she’s ever loved.
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What will you be reading in October? 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).
