I can’t believe that it’s already April, but you know what that means… it’s time for a new list of Anticipated Reads to crush your TBRs! It’s genuinely my favorite time of the month (but my bank account’s least favorite for sure). Is this the time of the year people like to read thrillers? Because there sure seem to be a lot coming out this month…

- Books Released on April 6, 2021
- Books Releasing on April 13, 2021
- The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
- Malice: A Novel by Heather Walter
- When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
- The Light of Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner
- We Are Watching Eliza Bright by A.E. Osworth
- The Helm of Midnight (The Five Penalties #1) by Marina J. Lostetter
- Victories Greater than Death (Universal Expansion #1) by Charlie Jane Anders
- Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World retold by Bolu Babalola
- Books Releasing on April 20, 2021
- Books Releasing on April 27, 2021
- Let’s Chat!
Think of the Reader Voracious Anticipated Reads as a list of noteworthy books coming up for publication. These posts focus on books from my preferred genres (fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller in YA & adult) but are by no means a representation of everything being published. There’s no way I will be able to get to all of these books personally, but I think my readers would be interested in them so I want to share and boost.




Books Released on April 6, 2021
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📝 Related: How I Stay on Top of New Releases – Edelweiss 2.0 Guide
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Fantasy, Horror | Pages: 352
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Iris has spent most of her teenage years trying to avoid the weirdness that sticks to her like tar. But when her eldest sister, Grey, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Iris learns just how weird her life can get: horned men start shadowing her, a corpse falls out of her sister’s ceiling, and ugly, impossible memories start to twist their way to the forefront of her mind.
As Iris retraces Grey’s last known footsteps and follows the increasingly bizarre trail of breadcrumbs she left behind, it becomes apparent that the only way to save her sister is to decipher the mystery of what happened to them as children.
The closer Iris gets to the truth, the closer she comes to understanding that the answer is dark and dangerous – and that Grey has been keeping a terrible secret from her for years.
✨ You can read an excerpt of House of Hollow here!
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A River Called Time by Courttia Newland
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic | Pages: 448
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The Ark was built to save the lives of the many, but rapidly became a refuge for the elite, the entrance closed without warning.
Years after the Ark was cut off from the world, a chance of survival within its confines is granted to a select few who can prove their worth. Among their number is Markriss Denny, whose path to future excellence is marred only by a closely guarded secret: without warning, his spirit leaves his body, allowing him to see and experience a world far beyond his physical limitations.
Once inside the Ark, Denny learns of another with the same power, whose existence could spell catastrophe for humanity. He is forced into a desperate race to understand his abilities, and in doing so uncovers the truth about the Ark, himself and the people he thought he once knew.
✨ You can read an excerpt of A River Called Time here!
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I’m Waiting for You and Other Stories
by Kim Bo-Young
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Science Fiction, Anthology | Pages: 336
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One of South Korea’s most treasured writers explores the driving forces of humanity—love, hope, creation, destruction, and the very meaning of existence—in two pairs of thematically interconnected stories.
In “I’m Waiting for You” and “On My Way,” an engaged couple coordinate their separate missions to distant corners of the galaxy to ensure—through relativity—they can arrive back on Earth simultaneously to make it down the aisle. But small incidents wreak havoc on space and time, driving their wedding date further away. As centuries on Earth pass and the land and climate change, one thing is constant: the desire of the lovers to be together. In two separate yet linked stories, Kim Bo-Young cleverly demonstrate the idea love that is timeless and hope springs eternal, despite seemingly insurmountable challenges and the deepest despair.
In “The Prophet of Corruption” and “That One Life,” humanity is viewed through the eyes of its creators: godlike beings for which everything on Earth—from the richest woman to a speck of dirt—is an extension of their will. When one of the creations questions the righteousness of this arrangement, it is deemed a perversion—a disease—that must be excised and cured. Yet the Prophet Naban, whose “child” is rebelling, isn’t sure the rebellion is bad. What if that which is considered criminal is instead the natural order—and those who condemn it corrupt? Exploring the dichotomy between the philosophical and the corporeal, Kim ponders the fate of free-will, as she considers the most basic of questions: who am I?
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Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Science Fiction, Speculative, Thriller | Pages: 368
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Security consultant “Jane Smith” receives an envelope with a key to a storage unit that holds a taxidermied hummingbird and clues leading her to a taxidermied salamander. Silvina, the dead woman who left the note, is a reputed ecoterrorist and the daughter of an Argentine industrialist. By taking the hummingbird from the storage unit, Jane sets in motion a series of events that quickly spin beyond her control.
Soon, Jane and her family are in danger, with few allies to help her make sense of the true scope of the peril. Is the only way to safety to follow in Silvina’s footsteps? Is it too late to stop? As she desperately seeks answers about why Silvina contacted her, time is running out—for her and possibly for the world.
Hummingbird Salamander is Jeff VanderMeer at his brilliant, cinematic best, wrapping profound questions about climate change, identity, and the world we live in into a tightly plotted thriller full of unexpected twists and elaborate conspiracy.
✨ You can read an excerpt of Hummingbird Salamander here!




Books Releasing on April 13, 2021
The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Contemporary, Thriller | Pages: 352
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New girl Rachel Chavez is eager to make a fresh start at Manchester Prep. But as one of the few scholarship kids, Rachel struggles to fit in, and when she gets caught up in a prank gone awry, she ends up with more enemies than friends.
To her surprise, however, the prank attracts the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a secret club of students with one objective: come up with the scariest prank to orchestrate real fear. But as the pranks escalate, the competition turns cutthroat and takes on a life of its own.
When the tables are turned and someone targets the club itself, Rachel must track down the real-life monster in their midst . . . even if it means finally confronting the dark secrets from her past.
✨ You can read an excerpt of The Mary Shelley Club here!
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Malice: A Novel by Heather Walter
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Fantasy, Retelling, LGBT+ | Pages: 496
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Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.
You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.
Utter nonsense.
Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.
Until I met her.
Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.
But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.
Nonsense again.
Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—
I am the villain.
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When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Thriller, Mystery | Pages: 384
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Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When overwhelming tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.
Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives–and our faith in one another.
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The Light of Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, LGBT+ | Pages: 432
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Deep in the Hungarian woods, the sacred magic of King Solomon lives on in his descendants. Gathering under the midnight stars, they pray, sing and perform small miracles – and none are more gifted than the great Rabbi Isaac and his three daughters. Each one is blessed with a unique talent – whether it be coaxing plants to grow, or predicting the future by reading the path of the stars.
When a fateful decision to help an outsider ends in an accusation of witchcraft, fire blazes through their village. Rabbi Isaac and his family are forced to flee, to abandon their magic and settle into a new way of life. But a dark fog is making its way across Europe and will, in the end, reach even those who thought they could run from it. Each of the sisters will have to make a choice – and change the future of their family forever.
For more from Rena Rossner, check out The Sisters of the Winter Wood.
✨ You can read an excerpt of The Light of Midnight Stars here!
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We Are Watching Eliza Bright by A.E. Osworth
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Mystery | Pages: 400
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When Eliza reports an incident of workplace harassment that is quickly dismissed, she’s forced to take her frustrations to a journalist who blasts her story across the Internet. She’s fired and doxed, and becomes a rallying figure for women across America. But she’s also enraged the beast that is male gamers on 4Chan and Reddit, whose collective, unreliable voice narrates our story. Soon Eliza is in the cross-hairs of the gaming community, threatened and stalked as they monitor her every move online and across New York City.
As the violent power of an angry male collective descends upon everyone in Eliza’s life, it becomes increasingly difficult to know who to trust, even when she’s eventually taken in and protected by an under-the-radar Collective known as the Sixsterhood. The violence moves from cyberspace to the real world, as a vicious male super-fan known only as The Ghost is determined to exact his revenge on behalf of men everywhere. We watch alongside the Sixsterhood and subreddit incels as this dramatic cat-and-mouse game plays out to reach its violent and inevitable conclusion.
This is an extraordinary, unputdownable novel that explores the dark recesses of the Internet and male rage, and the fragile line between the online world and real life. It’s a thrilling story of female resilience and survival, packed with a powerful feminist message.
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The Helm of Midnight (The Five Penalties #1) by Marina J. Lostetter
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Epic Fantasy, Mystery | Pages: 464
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In a daring and deadly heist, thieves have made away with an artifact of terrible power–the death mask of Louis Charbon. Made by a master craftsman, it is imbued with the spirit of a monster from history, a serial murderer who terrorized the city with a series of gruesome murders.
Now Charbon is loose once more, killing from beyond the grave. But these murders are different from before, not simply random but the work of a deliberate mind probing for answers to a sinister question.
It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake.
✨ You can read an excerpt of The Helm of Midnight here!
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Victories Greater than Death (Universal Expansion #1) by Charlie Jane Anders
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera, LGBT+ | Pages: 288
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Tina has always known her destiny is outside the norm—after all, she is the human clone of the most brilliant alien commander in all the galaxies (even if the rest of the world is still deciding whether aliens exist). But she is tired of waiting for her life to begin.
And then it does—and maybe Tina should have been more prepared. At least she has a crew around her that she can trust—and her best friend at her side. Now, they just have to save the world.
From internationally bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky) comes a thrilling adventure set against an intergalactic war—Anders’s long-awaited YA debut.
✨ You can read an excerpt of Victories Greater than Death here!
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Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World retold by Bolu Babalola
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, LGBT+ | Pages: 304
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A young businesswoman attempts a great leap in her company, and an even greater one in her love life.
A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether she should uphold her family’s politics or be true to her heart.
In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places.
With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love, Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives, continents, and genres.
✨ You can read an excerpt of Love in Color here!




Books Releasing on April 20, 2021
The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery | Pages: 384
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Hwani’s family has never been the same since she and her younger sister went missing and were later found unconscious in the forest, near a gruesome crime scene. The only thing they remember: Their captor wore a painted-white mask.
To escape the haunting memories of this incident, the family flees their hometown. Years later, Detective Min—Hwani’s father—learns that thirteen girls have recently disappeared under similar circumstances, and so he returns to their hometown to investigate… only to vanish as well.
Determined to find her father and solve the case that tore their family apart, Hwani returns home to pick up the trail. As she digs into the secrets of the small village—and reconnects with her now estranged sister—Hwani comes to realize that the answer lies within her own buried memories of what happened in the forest all those years ago.
✨ You can read an excerpt of The Forest of Stolen Girls here!
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Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Fantasy | Pages: 544
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Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom – and vengeance.
Jazmyne is the Queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.
Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But power is intoxicating, revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain – except the lengths they will go to win this game.
This Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut about two enemy witches who must enter into a deadly alliance to take down a common enemy has the twisted cat-and-mouse of Killing Eve with the richly imagined fantasy world of Furyborn and Ember in the Ashes.
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These Feathered Flames (These Feathered Flames #1) by Alexandra Overy
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, LGBT+ | Pages: 496
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When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she’d need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm.
But before Asya’s training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned.
As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they’ll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.
✨ You can read an excerpt of These Feathered Flames here!
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Dustborn by Erin Bowman
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic | Pages: 432
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Delta of Dead River has always been told to hide her back, where a map is branded on her skin to a rumored paradise called the Verdant. In a wasteland plagued by dust squalls, geomagnetic storms, and solar flares, many would kill for it—even if no one can read it. So when raiders sent by a man known as the General attack her village, Delta suspects he is searching for her.
Delta sets out to rescue her family but quickly learns that in the Wastes no one can be trusted—perhaps not even her childhood friend, Asher, who has been missing for nearly a decade. If Delta can trust Asher, she just might decode the map and trade evidence of the Verdant to the General for her family. What Delta doesn’t count on is what waits at the Verdant: a long-forgotten secret that will shake the foundation of her entire world.
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Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Thriller | Pages: 352
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When a listener phones in with a tip, Elle sets out to interview him, only to discover his dead body. And within days, a child is abducted following the original TCK MO. Unlike the experts in the media and law enforcement who have always spun theories of a guilty suicide, Elle never believed TCK had died, and her investigation was meant to lay that suspicion to rest. But instead, her podcast seems to be kicking up new victims.




Books Releasing on April 27, 2021
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Romance, Fantasy | Pages: 320
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They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis—neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse—and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.
When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.
But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina — and
himself—that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins. The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal, and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.
✨ You can read an excerpt of The Beautiful Ones here!




The publishing industry is always focused on the new and shiny releases, typically ceasing promotion within a week of the book birthday. I hope that this list brought some new books to your attention and I hope you are able to support the ones you’re interested in!
Let’s Chat!
Which books coming out in April are you excited about? What have you read and would recommend? Let’s talk in the comments!
Let’s go on another adventure together!
I can’t wait for Witches Steeped in Gold and The Beautiful Ones! Have them both pre-ordered ☺️
(www.evelynreads.com)
Me too on the preorders (I actually have so many preorders in my bank account is going to WEEP)
Ahhh so many amazing releases this month!!! Thank you for this list!
You’re welcome and happy reading!
Interesting selection, I have a few on my reading schedule already . Thanks for sharing.
Of course and thanks for stopping by!
April is out of control! And your list is just the tip of the iceberg. I have copies of The Helm of Midnight and The Light of the Midnight Stars, but there are a bunch more here that I’d love to read as well!
SO MANY BOOKS IN APRIL! Your stack is intense and I am so thankful I only have like 3 review copies for this month (and already read one of them). I wish you happy reading.
So many great reads to try to get this April! I love Silvia Moreno Garcia and have already read The Beautiful Ones, but that won’t stop me from getting this new reprinting ! Also looking forward to The Mary Shelley Club, sounds so intriguing. My TBR list has definetly grown now with the reading of this post! Thank you for sharing and happy reading!
Did you read The Beautiful Ones when it was originally published? I loved the book so much and despite my not liking paperbacks I have a copy preordered. Sorry (not sorry) to your TBR muahaha, happy reading to you as well Shantall!
A River Called Time sounds super interesting! I’ll need to check that one out. I want to read The Mary Shelley Club. Super excited for Witches Steeped in Gold! I love the cover of it too! OMG and Dustborn! I love Erin Bowmans books and this one seems right up my alley. I already preordered it too. I like that you shared excerpts so I can check a few of these out and decide. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I swear I only found out about Dustborn maybe a month or two ago??? I follow Erin Bowman so IDK how it slipped through the cracks but I am so excited to read it! And your welcome on the excerpts – they help me narrow down what to buy because writing style affects my mood reading so much. Happy reading, Molly!
Ahh I absolutely love the cover for House of Hollows – it’s absolutely *chef’s kiss*! And I mean how’re we supposed to afford all these amazing new releases and find time to read them too?? I am especially so excited for Witched Steeped in Gold and The beautiful ones!
I’m not gonna lie, I legit bought House of Hollows 96% because of the cover and I have zero regrets. It sounds super good so I’m not fussed lol. But SERIOUSLY why are there so many books to read and not enough time to read them!?!?!
I know I’ve recently added Malice to my tbr but I didn’t read the synopsis fully to see it’s a Sleeping Beauty retelling!
Added quite a couple of books to my tbr (as usual haha)! Posts like these always show me that I’ve missed a few books here and there so thank you!
Happy to help make your TBR and wallet groan, DB!