Must-Have Monday #242
Must-Have Monday is a feature highlighting which of the coming week’s new releases I’m excited for. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I’m interested in out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other stuff sneaks in occasionally too.
EIGHT books this week!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Reflections of Lilje Damselfly by Natalie Kelda Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MC with chronic pain
Published on: 23rd June 2025
Goodreads
{ "@context":"https://schema.org", "@type":"Review", "datePublished": "2025-06-23T08:18:07+00:00", "description": "A nymph with chronic pain, sapphic swan princesses, and unusual plant-magic!", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Every Book a Doorway" }, "url": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/must-have-monday-242\/", "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Book", "name": "Reflections of Lilje Damselfly", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Kelda", "sameAs": "" }, "isbn": "" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sia", "sameAs": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/" }, "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": false, "bestRating": "5" }}
When a mysterious ailment refuses to leave water nymph Lilje, her father sends her to a human spa retreat. Lilje quickly discovers she has a lot to learn about human nature and culture when she accidentally scandalises the Edwardian spa guests by showing up undressed.
In hope of relieving her chronic pain and fatigue, she tries her best to fit in and silence her ability to speak with the elements, plants, and animals around her. But when the secret of her heritage is revealed and Lilje falls in love with a human, she faces a difficult choice. Give up everything she thought she was, or live forever in pain and regret of what could have been.
Reflections of Lilje Damselfly is a short standalone novel set in a magical version of early 20th century England.
This sounds very different from anything I’ve read before, and I’m excited for it!
Incendiant (Joan of Crows Book 2) by Virginia Black Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 24th June 2025
Goodreads
{ "@context":"https://schema.org", "@type":"Review", "datePublished": "2025-06-23T08:18:07+00:00", "description": "A nymph with chronic pain, sapphic swan princesses, and unusual plant-magic!", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Every Book a Doorway" }, "url": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/must-have-monday-242\/", "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Book", "name": "Incendiant (Joan of Crows Book 2)", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Virginia Black", "sameAs": "" }, "isbn": "" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sia", "sameAs": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/" }, "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": false, "bestRating": "5" }}
Author Virginia Black burst onto the queer speculative fiction scene with her powerful debut, Consecrated Ground. Now Joan of Crows returns to Calvert in this high-octane thriller that pits good versus evil in a penultimate showdown.
War witch Joan Matthews wants little more than to build a life with Leigh Phan. Their hometown is rebuilding under Joan’s protection, but not everyone is happy with her solution to the most recent vampire crisis.
Meanwhile, Leigh’s bloodling powers lead to unforeseen consequences, and Joan is forced to honor a favor owed to a dangerous foe. Neither knows a greater threat lurks behind seemingly unrelated attacks across the land.
Together, Joan and Leigh once saved the town of Calvert. Now that they are separated, each must learn to save herself, or all their gains will be forfeited—and everyone they know will pay the price.
The first book in this series inspired a cult following; now that we’re getting book two, I think it’s time I dive in too!
A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace by Emily Skrutskie Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bisexual MCs, queernorm world
Published on: 24th June 2025
Goodreads
{ "@context":"https://schema.org", "@type":"Review", "datePublished": "2025-06-23T08:18:07+00:00", "description": "A nymph with chronic pain, sapphic swan princesses, and unusual plant-magic!", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Every Book a Doorway" }, "url": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/must-have-monday-242\/", "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Book", "name": "A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emily Skrutskie", "sameAs": "" }, "isbn": "" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sia", "sameAs": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/" }, "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": false, "bestRating": "5" }}
In this charming fantasy with a swoony friends-to-lovers romance, two soldiers must decide the futures they want in the wake of a last-chance hook-up on the night before the world was supposed to end.
On the eve of the battle that will decide the realm of Telrus’s fate, Katrien takes a hard look at her prospects. A mere legionnaire, she and her spear will be at the fore in the morning, facing off against the Demon Lord and his wretched army, and it’s all but certain she’ll perish in the fight. But if the end of the world is mere hours away, there’s no reason not to hook up with her handsome, dedicated battle partner Emory—despite any anti-fraternization policies their centurion may have in place.
Only, the world doesn’t end the next day. Instead, an insufferable prince raised in hiding comes out of nowhere with a plucky band of heroes, defeats the Demon Lord, and seals the rift to the hellish plane. The realm is saved. The war is over. And Kat suddenly has a lot more future than she knows what to do with. It’s a future that could include Emory . . . if only he weren’t so set on staying enlisted with the very army Kat was unwillingly drafted into.
And while the Demon Lord has been destroyed, peace is still a long march away. When Kat inadvertently draws the eye of the prince, she, Emory, and the rest of their motley unit are pulled to the fore of the formation—and the heart of the danger—as the army embarks on one last campaign. The mission: laying a road as a foundation for the prince’s future rule. The real mission: scouring the last of the Demon Lord’s servants from the material plane.
As Kat and Emory work to secure a lasting peace, they’ll have to decide what they want their futures to look like—and if there’s room for love at the end of the road.
I got my wires crossed somehow and thought this was F/F? It’s not, but telling an Epic Fantasy story through the pov of characters who wouldn’t even get names in a typical Epic Fantasy… I’m intrigued!
Tempest by K. Ibura Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Magical Realism, YA
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 24th June 2025
Goodreads
{ "@context":"https://schema.org", "@type":"Review", "datePublished": "2025-06-23T08:18:07+00:00", "description": "A nymph with chronic pain, sapphic swan princesses, and unusual plant-magic!", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Every Book a Doorway" }, "url": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/must-have-monday-242\/", "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Book", "name": "Tempest", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "K. Ibura", "sameAs": "" }, "isbn": "" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sia", "sameAs": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/" }, "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": false, "bestRating": "5" }}
After her mother passed away in Hurricane Katrina, Veronique moved to her mawmaw’s house in the Louisiana countryside. Mawmaw always said that Veronique needed to hide her power over the wind, but one day, she has to use it to save a neighbor’s son from drowning. To protect Veronique, her mawmaw immediately sends her to live with her aunt in New Orleans.
NOLA is nothing like Veronique could have imagined—she’s finally attending traditional school, she gets to bond with cousins that she’s never met, and she even rides on her first highway. Though she quickly falls in with a group of friends at school—and one boy that she’d like to be more than her friend—there’s also a higher risk of discovery in the city. When one of her cousins’ friends figures out the truth, V learns about a secret organization called the Vaunted that comes after people with elemental magic.
The Vaunted is closing in, and V will be forced on the run to hide from their sinister intentions. V’s left with two major questions: Can she trust anyone? And will she ever get a chance to be a normal girl again?
This sounds a lot more Fantasy than Magical Realism to me, but either way, I really want to check it out! Sounds absolutely gorgeous.
A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: F/F
Published on: 24th June 2025
Goodreads
{ "@context":"https://schema.org", "@type":"Review", "datePublished": "2025-06-23T08:18:07+00:00", "description": "A nymph with chronic pain, sapphic swan princesses, and unusual plant-magic!", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Every Book a Doorway" }, "url": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/must-have-monday-242\/", "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Book", "name": "A Treachery of Swans", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A.B. Poranek", "sameAs": "" }, "isbn": "" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sia", "sameAs": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/" }, "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": false, "bestRating": "5" }}
From the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Dark Stands Still comes an atmospheric fantasy based on Swan Lake, following Odile as her plan to restore magic to her kingdom gets disrupted by a murder—forcing her to beg for help from the young woman whose identity she stole.
Can two girls—one enchanted, one the enchantress—save their kingdom and each other?
Two hundred years ago, a slighted deity stole the magic from Auréal and vanished without a trace. But seventeen-year-old Odile has a plan. All her life, her father, a vengeful sorcerer, has raised her for one singular task: infiltrate the royal palace and steal the king’s crown, an artefact with enough power to restore magic. But to enter the palace, she must assume the identity of a noblewoman. She chooses Marie d’Odette: famed for her beauty, a rumored candidate for future queen…and Odile’s childhood-friend-turned-sworn-enemy.
With her father’s help, Odile transforms Marie into a swan and takes her place at court. But when the king is brutally murdered and her own brother is accused, her plans are thrown into chaos. Desperate to free her brother, Odile is forced to team up with none other than elegant, infuriating Marie, the girl she has cursed…and the girl she can’t seem to stop thinking about despite her best efforts.
To make matters worse, there are whispers that the king’s murder was not at the hands of man, but beast. Torn between loyalty to her father and her growing feelings for Marie, Odile becomes tangled in a web of treachery and deceit. To save her kingdom, she must find the true path to magic…and find the real killer before they—or it—strikes again.
Who else loved the Swan Princess movies? I predict this will be very different, but hopefully as much fun!
Goldheart (Foxglove & Feud Book 1) by Tess Carletta Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Black MC, queer MCs, M/M, secondary F/F, neurodivergent rep, queernorm world
Published on: 25th June 2025
Goodreads
{ "@context":"https://schema.org", "@type":"Review", "datePublished": "2025-06-23T08:18:07+00:00", "description": "A nymph with chronic pain, sapphic swan princesses, and unusual plant-magic!", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Every Book a Doorway" }, "url": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/must-have-monday-242\/", "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Book", "name": "Goldheart (Foxglove & Feud Book 1)", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tess Carletta", "sameAs": "" }, "isbn": "" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sia", "sameAs": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/" }, "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": false, "bestRating": "5" }}
A world plagued by sun sickness can be both terrible and beautiful.
Senna Kane was plucked from his orphanage and molded into the perfect Goldheart—the personal bodyguard to the prince. It's a demanding job, made harder by the headstrong prince's desire to solve the tension between the darkness-bathed Talsura and the sun-welcoming Redwind, but Senna has vowed to do his best.
Defying the law, Senna and the prince sneak out of their kingdom to meet with the Redwindan princess to work towards peace. There, Senna finds himself spending more time with the princess' charming guard, Emrys, who challenges Senna to try bold and impossible things—like harnessing the sun's power to grow plants from his own body.
The quest for peace comes at odds with the two lovers as the sun sickness, terrifying monsters, and cruel rulers try to tear them apart at every turn. The danger leads Senna to what may be an impossible choice: to abandon his prince, his duty and life's purpose, or lose the chance to become the man he could've been if that duty had never found him.
GOLDHEART is a story about chosen family, choosing love, and the impossible feat of staying good in times of darkness.
Plant magic! Plant magic with plants grown from your body! And – exposure to sunlight makes you ill in this setting??? Definitely checking this one out!
Radhika Rages at the Crater School by Chaz Brenchley Genres: Sci Fi, YA
Representation: Biracial Desi MC
Published on: 26th June 2025
Goodreads
{ "@context":"https://schema.org", "@type":"Review", "datePublished": "2025-06-23T08:18:07+00:00", "description": "A nymph with chronic pain, sapphic swan princesses, and unusual plant-magic!", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Every Book a Doorway" }, "url": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/must-have-monday-242\/", "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Book", "name": "Radhika Rages at the Crater School", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chaz Brenchley", "sameAs": "" }, "isbn": "" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sia", "sameAs": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/" }, "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": false, "bestRating": "5" }}
“I won’t go. I won’t, I won’t!”
Radhika Harvey does not want to go to the Crater School, but her father offers her no choice. Radhika’s beloved mother is deathly ill in the Sanatorium across the Lowell Crater from the school; it’s the obvious place to send her. And how can a disgraced father care properly for a young girl on his own?
The Crater School has taken in children from all across the province, which means from many different cultures and creeds, but never yet a half-Indian army brat who absolutely doesn’t want to be there. Her arrival—and her temper—will challenge both staff and pupils, throughout an explosive Martian summer...
I uncomplicatedly love this series, which is so very escapist. They’re basically the traditional English Boarding School Stories, but set on Mars! And each book so for has worked as a standalone, so you can jump in wherever you’re most interested!
Run Like Hell by Eira Brand Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Representation: Trans MC
Published on: 30th June 2025
Goodreads
{ "@context":"https://schema.org", "@type":"Review", "datePublished": "2025-06-23T08:18:07+00:00", "description": "A nymph with chronic pain, sapphic swan princesses, and unusual plant-magic!", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Every Book a Doorway" }, "url": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/must-have-monday-242\/", "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Book", "name": "Run Like Hell", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eira Brand", "sameAs": "" }, "isbn": "" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sia", "sameAs": "https:\/\/everybookadoorway.com\/" }, "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": false, "bestRating": "5" }}
A shootout at a streetside bazaar. A pursuit through darkened city streets. A courier brutally murdered by his pursuers. Blown apart and left to rot in the gutter. All of that makes for an average day in the bowels of the megatropolis of New York City— at the bottom of the Barrel.
But for Raide, that day was anything but average. That courier was a friend— probably Raide's best friend— and he left a life-changing contract behind. The job and its promised rewards force Raide to face impossible odds, all while eluding relentless corporate security agents and outrunning a horrifying plague that's sweeping the city.
When faced with such a situation, there are really only two options...
Lie down and die or run like hell.
Gory, action-packed cyberpunk that is, from the early reviews, genuinely cyberpunk (which we all know most cyberpunk isn’t!) I’ve seen this recced for fans of Andrew Joseph White, which should tell us all we need to know!
You can read a quick excerpt here!
Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!
The post Must-Have Monday #242 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.
