Must-Have Monday #252
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.
THIRTEEN books this week!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Daevas 1 by Milan Sno Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC
Published on: 1st September 2025
Goodreads
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In a world ravaged by holy war, Ari clings to one truth: mouths lie, but blood does not. Haunted by the past and desperate for answers, he turns to Auovin—a demon whose secrets could unravel everything Ari believes.
What follows is a journey of uneasy revelations and slow-burning desire, where the lines between love and betrayal, redemption and damnation blur. Guided—and tormented—by Auovin, Ari must confront not only the war’s deeper truths but the shifting foundations of his own identity.
Daevas: Volume One is the beginning of a dark, emotionally charged fantasy saga told across three volumes. With lyrical prose, mythic intimacy, and haunting introspection, it explores the cost of truth, the pull of identity, and the price of being seen in a broken world.
I’ve seen a few early readers warning that this is ‘literary’ fantasy and pretty low on actual magic, but it could still be worth a try!
The Nga'phandileh Whisperer by Eugen Bacon Genres: Adult, Horror, Science Fantasy
Representation: African-inspired cast and setting
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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When a precocious Guardian in Sector Z in New Inku’lulu—an elite space outpost—misuses her sound magic, the Guardians punish her by stripping away her magical ability.
Now Chant’L is exiled to Savage Mound, a sound island on planet Wiimb-ó, and grows increasingly vengeful—until she discovers that magic is inborn, never truly lost or taken. She channels energy from two spirit moons and reclaims her sound magic.
Chant’L summons the Nga’phandileh, creatures of unreality. But her magic is more than she bargained for when an uncontained trinity of the hive mind slips from unreality and brings peril to the federation of planets.
Now the Guardians in Sector Z find themselves with a massive catastrophe they must not only keep secret, but resolve.
A science fiction horror from an award-winning queen of Afro-Irreal genre bending.
A glossary of Bantu, Afrocentric and authorly-crafted words complements this genre-bending, cross-cultural novella. Something beautiful, something dark in lyrical language packed with affection, dread, anguish and hope.
The Sauútiverse is an amazingly epic shared universe, science fantasy with sound and music magic and African-inspired worldbuilding. Most of the stories and books set in it are standalones, and Nga’phandileh Whisperer is too – so you don’t have to have read any Sauútiverse before jumping in!
(Though if you do want more of it, I suggest starting with Mothersound, which is a collection of short stories across the Saútiverse timIine!)
Moonflow by Bitter Karella Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Fat trans MC, sapphic MCs
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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Moonflow is three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella's debut horror novel-a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of sisterhood. Answer the call of the forest, if you dare.
I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face.
They call it the King's Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of strange cults and disappearing hikers abound.
Sarah makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King's Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. Her only guide is the most annoying man in the world, and he's convinced there's no danger. But as they descend deeper, they realize they're not alone. Something is luring them into the heart of the forest, and they must answer its call.
Weird and gross exactly as intended, with lots of revelling in the…physicality of bodies? Not sure how to articulate it, but a certain kind of Horror fan is going to LOVE this one!
You can read an excerpt here!
Angel Maker by Elizabeth Bear Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Sapphic MC, sapphic Desi girlfriend
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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Every cowboy story needs a horse no man can ride.
No man—but Miss Karen Memery is all woman. When she and her beloved Priya sign on to do stunts for a motion picture about a rogue Mechanical named Cowboy and a Wild West show, she finds the horse of her dreams: Angel Maker.
Her plans to rescue him from a deadly stunt are ambitious enough, but she’s soon beset by even greater threats when two men are murdered brutally. Cowboy and Priya are arrested for the crime, and Karen must prove them innocent—and save the life of the wild stallion too!
"The surprise sequel that Karen Memory fans needed! A novel of strong emotional bonds, chasing after mysteries, and adventures at the dawn of motion pictures. Ladies and gentlemachines, this book was worth the wait."—John Wiswell, author of Someone You Can Build A Nest In
"Karen and her world are a delight!"—Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor
NEW KAREN MEMORY ADVENTURE!!! I just finished rereading the first book, and the novella, to be ready for this, and I loved them just as much as I did when they first came out. PRETTY SURE I’LL LOVE THIS AS WELL!
Dwellers: A Novel: Winner of the Philippine National Book Award by Eliza Victoria Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Filipino (?) cast and setting
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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This dark fantasy is sure to take your breath away.
The rules are strict and absolute:
Rule No. 1: Don't kill the body you inhabit.
Rule No. 2: Never mention your previous name again.
Rule No. 3: Don't talk about your previous life. Ever.
But what happens when, in escaping your old life by stealing a new one, you jump out of the frying pan and into the fire?
Cousins from a clan of dwellers--people who inhabit the bodies and lives of others--become brothers when they take over the bodies of Jonah and Louis. An injury forces them to remain in the brothers' house, where they discover that the basement holds a dead body! As old and new secrets come to light, it becomes clear there is no such thing as actions without consequences.
Fans of Richard Morgan, Adam Silvera, and Blake Crouch's speculative fiction will adore Eliza Victoria's action-packed supernatural mystery. Winner of the Philippine National Book Award, Dwellers is the urban fantasy novel that you won't want to miss!
This is apparently a very short novel, but the reviews I’ve seen for it are GLOWING. Really curious about the premise!
A Blood as Bright as the Moon by Andrea Morstabilini Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Gay MC
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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A vampire, desperately torn between worlds, is hunted down by a secret society bent on his destruction, in this elegiac and unsettling queer gothic horror, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Frankenstein, Germany. Ambrose, a young vampire, lives a life secreted away from the modern world with the rest of his clan, all of them under the spell of the charismatic Regina, who spins stories of salvation for their kind. Their grand plan? To build makeshift wings and fly to the moon where a safe haven awaits for all vampires.
But Ambrose harbours a secret: he is not ready to abandon the earth, and he is in contact with a human who believes he can be saved. As the rest of his kind prepare to flee their home, Ambrose is torn between loyalties.
However something else is on the horizon – the Royal Diurnal Society – a group with sinister plans for vampires, are closing in, and if Ambrose isn’t careful, he could find himself right at the centre of a terrifying and mysterious experiment.
Okay, this didn’t work for me at all, but I still wanted to include it in case it works for some of you!
You can read an excerpt here!
Crying Out For Magic by P.S.C. Willis Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Queer Protagonists
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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A meet-cute across worlds!
Draven Montrose’s world, Galdorsfarne, is like a soggy firework; so much potential, so little sparkle. Magic is running out, and so are his dating options. Whilst he should be grateful for a cruelty-free world, he’s never known anything else. His (entirely realistic and modest) goals for the year are to solve the magical energy crisis…and get a proper boyfriend.
Niall Silverstein lives in Northern England, wishing fantasy stories were real and he had the guts to talk to cute boys. He isn’t out to his parents, he’s never kissed anyone, and he’s convinced he’ll die alone in a corner of the library, a spotty and unloved nerd.
A magical portal between worlds and a chance meeting might be all that’s needed to fix both their broken worlds. But does Draven’s world contain enough magic to keep their meetings going?
Fantasy / Romance / LGBT / gay / BL
Adult and New Adult
An inter-dimensional meet-cute? I predict adorableness!
Honeyeater by Kathleen Jennings Genres: Adult, Horror
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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A richly imagined dark fantasy that pulses with the beautiful destruction of a town reclaimed by the natural world.
Sub-tropical Bellworth is founded on floodplains and root-bound secrets. And Charlie, remarkable only for vanished friends and a successful sister, plans to leave for good, just as soon as he deals with his dead aunt’s house. Then Grace arrives, desperate, with roses pressing up through her skin, and drags Charlie into the ghost-choked mysteries of Bellworth, uncovering the impossible consequences of loss and desire — and a choice Charlie made when he was a boy.
But peeling back the rumors and lies that cocoon the suburb disturbs more than complacent neighbors and lost souls. And Charlie and Grace are forced to a decision that threatens not only their lives, but all they believed those lives could be.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Jennings is very famous for her art – I’ve seen it on many book covers! – but I think this is her first novel? (After a short story collection and at least one novella!) Always awe-inspiring to discover someone who can make illustrative art AND write!
You can read an excerpt here!
Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons by Multiple Writers, Salem West Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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Prepare for intrigue, suspense, and unforgettable twists in this groundbreaking anthology of queer crime fiction.
In 2023, crime fiction anthologies featured 517 stories across 30 titles—but shockingly, fewer than 1 percent were penned by LGBTQ+ writers. Crime Iconic (An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Famous Queer Icons) is a resounding response to this glaring disparity, offering a vibrant collection of stories by and about queer authors and characters.
Drawing inspiration from queer icons—James Baldwin, Oscar Wilde, Candy Darling, Radclyffe Hall, Babadook, Megan Rapinoe, Laverne Cox, Dolly Parton, Vita Sackville-West, and many more—these tales span the rich spectrum of crime fiction, from cozy mysteries and whodunits to noir, psychological thrillers, and police procedurals. Each story is a testament to the depth, ingenuity, and thrilling originality of queer voices in the genre.
This anthology showcases an incredible array of talent, including New York Times Best Crime Novels of 2024 honorees Margot Douaihy, Robyn Gigl, John Copenhaver, and Katrina Carrasco; Lambda Literary winners Ann Aptaker, Greg Herren, Ann McMan, and J.M. Redmann; and other celebrated writers like Cheryl Head, Penny Mickelbury, Christa Faust, and Kelly J. Ford. But that’s not all—this collection also includes many more decorated and emerging voices, ensuring a dynamic reading experience as inclusive as it is entertaining.
With a foreword by Ellen Hart and an afterword by Katherine V. Forrest, two luminaries of queer crime fiction, this anthology is more than a collection of stories—it’s a movement. Bursting with intrigue, twists, and unforgettable characters, Crime Iconic is essential reading for crime fiction fans and anyone who craves representation in the stories they love.
Includes stories
Jeffrey Marks • Ann Aptaker • Ann McMan • Cheryl Head • Meredith Doench • Kelly J. Ford • Margot Douaihy • Christa Faust • Robyn Gigl • Greg Herren • Anne Laughlin • Kristen Lepionka • Katrina Carrasco • Mia Manansala • Renee James • Penny Mickelbury • Diana DiGangi • Baxter Clare Trautman • JM Redmann • Katherine V. Forrest • Stephanie Gayle• Marco Carocari • Jeffrey Round• David Pederson • Christopher Bollen • John Copenhaver
Edited
John Copenhaver • Salem West
If you’ve hung around here for a while, you know crime is not my usual genre – Pagans being a very unusual (and speculative) exception! – but this is such a cool idea for a collection that I think I need to take a peek at it!
You can get a rundown on all the stories inside here!
SURVIVA: A Future Ancestral Field Guide by Cannupa Hanska Luger Genres: Adult, Nonfiction
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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An ambitious, world-envisioning work of Indigenous futurism.
Since 2015—through a proliferation of forms including sculpture, regalia, film, photography, poetry, painting, and installation—acclaimed multimedia artist Cannupa Hanska Luger has been weaving together strands of a new myth. Collectively referred to as Future Ancestral Technologies, this sprawling series of interrelated works seeks to reimagine Indigenous life and culture in a postcolonial world where space exploration has reduced and reconfigured the earth’s population.
Part graphic novel, part art book, A Future Ancestral Field Guide offers readers a view beneath, beyond, and between the lines of Luger's ever-expanding artistic universe. In this ecstatically hybrid work, Luger transforms a 1970s military survival guide through poetic redaction, speculative fiction, and iterative line drawing—deftly surfacing and disrupting the colonial subconscious that haunts this vexed source text. An epic and timely meditation on planetary life in the midst of transformation, SURVIVA boldly presents an earth-based, demilitarized futuredream that foregrounds Indigenous knowledge as critical to humanity’s survival.
SURVIVA is the first title from Aora Books, a publishing imprint dedicated to exploring transformational thought and culture that transcends borders, disciplines, and traditions. Rooted in an ethos of polyvocality and planetary consciousness, Aora publishes works that forge bold connections across time, place, ideas, and beings often seen as separate.
Not quite sure what to expect of this one, but it looks interesting!
Bad in the Blood by Matteo L. Cerilli Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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In a world where magical beings, fey, are mistrusted and often institutionalized, a human brother and fey sister must team up to solve a bizarre murder in this 1920s-inspired queer teen fantasy novel.
In the city of Puck's Port, where motorized vehicles fill the streets and new technological marvels abound, something rotten is lurking under the surface. A violent murder at the docks seems to point to a fey killer, igniting a powder keg of distrust between the city's humans and its fey inhabitants — folks who wield wonderful but often uncontrollable magical power.
Gristle Senan Maxim Junior finds himself caught in the middle. Forced into the reluctant role of private investigator, like his late father, he's working to solve the mystery of this fiery murder . . . mainly because his sister, Hawthorne Stregoni, is a fey herself with an unfortunate penchant for setting things ablaze.
Hawthorne is part of an experimental study to control feyism but struggles to keep her powerful magic in check in a country that hates what she is. Can she and Gristle work together to find the true instigator of the murder before it's too late?
I have been promised gender-weirdness, which, on top of the changeling stuff, means I’m excited to try this!
You can read an excerpt here (where it says Look Inside beneath the book cover)!
What a Fish Looks Like by Syr Hayati Beker Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Nonbinary MCs, queer MCs
Published on: 4th September 2025
Goodreads
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What are the stories we need to survive?
In ten days, the last spaceship is leaving for a new planet. Some of us will stay on Earth. How do we decide?
#TeamEarth. Once upon a time, the oceans were full of fish and the forests dark with brambles. Seb read about it in a book of fairy tales, and memory means hope.
#TeamShip. Adaptation means knowing when to walk away. Jay is ready. So their ex, Seb, shows up on the dance floor, T-minus-10. What’s the harm in one last dance?
What if the stories themselves are evolving?
Told in margin notes, posters, letters scrawled on napkins, and six retellings of classic fairy tales, What A Fish Looks Like gathers the stories of a queer community co-creating one another through the strange landscapes of climate change, wondering who is going to love us when there are not, in fact, plenty of fish in the sea.
And now this book belongs to you.
This is an odd one, set a bit in the future during climate collapse, but with magical realism woven in? And a cast full of trans and nonbinary people! It’s mixed media – the conceit is that most of it is marginalia in another book, and there are flyers and things included too, with scribbles from the characters on them. Personally, I found the climate/society collapse really depressing, but many other early readers didn’t, and it’s an objectively lovely book!
Eight Doors from Dawn to Midnight by Rachel Neumeier Genres: Fantasy
Representation: East Asian (?) MCs
Published on: 4th September 2025
Goodreads
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Long ago, Vích took her younger brother and fled the mysterious but terrible fate their mother intended for them both.
Bound together by her curse and his gift, neither Vích nor Lahn have ever needed to fear any of the ordinary dangers that beset mortal people. But they have never been safe from those who would use them both in pursuit of power beyond life and death.
Now those enemies have found them.
The world will never be the same.
NEW RACHEL NEUMEIER! In an entirely new setting! (I think this might be her first non-Toyo-verse fantasy in a WHILE.) No idea what this one’s about, but there’s a tiger AND a dragon on the cover, so I’m very excited! (I also don’t know whether it’s meant to be Adult or YA – most of the Neumeier books I’ve read work well as either.)
Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!
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