My Most Anticipated Books of 2021

2021 looks to be packed with amazing stories and exciting debuts from new authors. Do you have a list going for your most anticipated reads? Mine is full to bursting but I've taken up the very hard task of narrowing it down to my top 5. Please let me know your choices, and what you think of mine!

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Expected Publication: June 2021

Ava Reid's debut novel, in her own words, enemies-to-lovers plus a dash of rich mythology! I'm so excited to see where this one goes and I love how it's exploring a culture and a place that is rarely utilized in fantasy!

"In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline—her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.

But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman—he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother.

As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all."

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
Genres: Fantasy
Expected Publication: February 2021

This book tells the tale of two of my favorite mythological characters, the trickster God Loki and his wife, the "mother of monsters", Angrboda.

"Angrboda’s story begins where most witches’ tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.

Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin’s all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life—and possibly all of existence—is in danger.

With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she’ll accept the fate that she’s foreseen for her beloved family…or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age."

The Widow Queen by Elżbieta Cherezińska

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Expected Publication: April 6, 2021

A translation from a popular Polish author about a little known Queen from history.

"The Widow Queen tells the epic story of Świętosława, who is the daughter of a great duke of Poland. To him, Świętosława and her two sisters represent three chances of an alliance; three marriages on which to build his empire. But the powerful and headstrong Świętosława seeks a throne of her own, with no husband by her side, and she refuses to be simply a pawn in her father’s plans."

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication: May 6th, 2021

I've yet to read Casey McQuiston's breakout debut "Red, White & Royal Blue", but I'm so excited for her to take on a F/F romance! When I very first read the summary, pitched as a Sapphic "Kate and Leopold", I just knew I had to read it.

"A 23-year-old realises her subway crush is displaced from 1970's Brooklyn, and she must do everything in her power to help her - and try not to fall in love with the girl lost in time - before it's too late . . ."

Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long
Genres: Fantasy
Expected Publication: January 19th, 2021

I feel like its been a long time coming for some Viking inspired fantasy (in fact I'm writing one...)! I can't wait to pick this one up.

"Hessa is an Eangi: a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War, with the power to turn an enemy's bones to dust with a scream. Banished for disobeying her goddess's command to murder a traveller, she prays for forgiveness alone on a mountainside.

While she is gone, raiders raze her village and obliterate the Eangi priesthood. Grieving and alone, Hessa - the last Eangi - must find the traveller, atone for her weakness and secure her place with her loved ones in the High Halls. As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear through her homeland, slaughtering everyone in their path, Hessa strives to win back her goddess' favour.

Beset by zealot soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly-awakened demons at every turn, Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge. But her journey reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. Soon Hessa's trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer.

Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New, Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death. Bigger, older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world. And they're about to wake up."

Honorable Mentions:

The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis (Historical Fiction, Fantasy)
The Lost Village by Camilla Stein (Mystery, Horror)
A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein (Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+)
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell (Historical Fiction, Gothic)
Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley (YA Fantasy, LGBTQ+)
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (Cozy Mystery)
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (YA Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+)
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (Historical Fiction)
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (Contemporary Romance)
The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur (YA Historical Mystery)