28 New Books Hitting the Shelves in June 2021 | Anticipated Reads
(Last Updated On: May 29, 2021)
It’s the most wonderful time of the month ๐ถ! That’s right, May is already basically over and this Tuesday ushers in a new month of releases you’ll be itching to add to your TBRs. And this month is a doozy with 28 books I want to highlight, many of which coming out on June 1 and many with amazing pre-order incentives that you still have time for.
You know how last month I said that May was the largest Anticipated Reads post? Well that title didn’t last long as it pales in comparison to June’s monster of a post. I swear the publishing gods keep raining down book-shaped blessings, and I’m not mad about it. Related: how do I remove the need to sleep so I can get in more reading time?
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.
This post uses affiliate links and I may receive a small commission for purchases made through my Amazon & Book Depository links at no additional cost to you. Click here for more information and thanks for your support!
Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American societyโshe has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. Sheโs also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.
But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.
Nghi Voโs debut novel The Chosen and the Beautiful reinvents this classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice.
MAY THE HAZEL BRING YOU WISDOM AND THE ASPEN GUIDE AND PROTECT YOU…
Samantha Knox put away her childish fantasies of archaeological adventure the day her father didn’t return home from the Great War, retreating to the safety of the antique bookshop where she works. But when a mysterious package arrives with a damaged diary inside, Sam’s peaceful life is obliterated. Ruthless men intent on reclaiming the diary are after Sam, setting her and her best friend, along with her childhood crush, on a high-stakes adventure that lands them in the green hills outside Dublin, Ireland. Here they discover an ancient order with a dark purpose – to perform an occult ritual that will raise the Specter Queen, the Celtic goddess of vengeance and death, to bring about a war unlike any the world has ever seen. To stop them, Sam must solve a deviously complex cipher – one that will lead her on a treasure hunt to discover the ancient relic at the heart of the ritual: a bowl carved from the tree of life. Will she find the bowl and stop the curse of the Specter Queen, or will the ancient order bring about the end of the world?
Indiana Jones gets a refresh with this female-driven mystery adventure, set in the 1920s, full of ciphers, ancient relics, and heart-stopping action – the first in a brand-new series!
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For the Wolf (Wilderwood #1) by Hannah F. Whitten
Age Range: Adultย |ย Genre: Fantasy, Epicย |ย Pages: 480
The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf.
For fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale comes a dark fantasy novel about a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn’t the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood.
As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he’ll return the world’s captured gods.
Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can’t control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can’t hurt those she loves. Again.
But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn’t learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood-and her world-whole.
After the first settler on Titan trips her distress signal, neither remaining country on Earth can afford to scramble a rescue of its own, and so two sworn enemies are installed in the same spaceship.
Ambrose wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor, with no memory of a launch. Thereโs more that doesnโt add up: Evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the shipโs operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeedโnot when heโs rescuing his own sister.
In order to survive the shipโs secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust one anotherโฆ especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive.
A lush, feminist re-imagining on what happened to Wendy after Neverland, for fans of Circe and The Mere Wife.
For those that lived there, Neverland was a children’s paradise. No rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests – all led by the charismatic boy who would never grow old.
But Wendy Darling grew up. She left Neverland and became a woman, a mother, a patient, and a survivor. Because Neverland isn’t as perfect as she remembers. There’s darkness at the heart of the island, and now Peter Pan has returned to claim a new Wendy for his lost boys…
Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, a YA contemporary thriller by debut author Faridah รbรญkรฉ-รyรญmรญdรฉ about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully.
When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite schoolโs senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.
Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures.
As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?
With heart-pounding suspense and relevant social commentary comes a high-octane thriller from debut author Faridah รbรญkรฉ-รyรญmรญdรฉ.
Evil lives in a traveling carnival roaming the Depression-era South. But the carnivalโs newest act, a peculiar young woman with latent magical powers, may hold the key to defeating it. Her time has come.
Abandoned by her family, alone on the wrong side of the color line with little to call her own, Eliza Meeks is coming to terms with what she does have. Itโs a gift for communicating with animals. To some, sheโs a magical tender. To others, a she-devil. To a talent prospector, sheโs a crowd-drawing oddity. And the Bacchanal Carnival is Elizaโs ticket out of the swamp trap of Baton Rouge.
Among fortune-tellers, carnies, barkers, and folks even stranger than herself, Eliza finds a new home. But the Bacchanal is no ordinary carnival. An ancient demon has a home there too. She hides behind an iridescent disguise. She feeds on innocent souls. And sheโs met her match in Eliza, whoโs only beginning to understand the purpose of her own burgeoning powers.
Only then can Eliza save her friends, find her family, and fight the sway of a primordial demon preying upon the human world. Rolling across a consuming dust bowl landscape, Eliza may have found her destiny.
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The Witch King (The Witch King #1) by H.E. Edgmom
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy | Pages: 432
To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancรฉ he left behind. This debut YA fantasy will leave you spellbound.
Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came fromโbut a kingdom demands its king.
In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croftโฆdonโt. Wyattโs betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world.
Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyattโs newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all whatโs more importantโhis people or his freedom.
The Hate U Give meets Shadowshaper in Bethany C. Morrow’s A Chorus Rises, a brilliant contemporary fantasy set in the world of A Song Below Water.
Teen influencer Naema Bradshaw has it all: she’s famous, privileged, has โthe good hairโโ and sheโs an Eloko, a person whoโs gifted with a song that woos anyone who hears it. Everyone loves her โ well, until she’s cast as the awful person who exposed Taviaโs secret siren powers.
Now, she’s being dragged by the media. No one understands her side: not her boyfriend, not her friends, nor her Eloko community. But Naema knows the truth and is determined to build herself back up โ no matter what.
When a new, flourishing segment of Naemaโs online supporters start targeting black girls, however, Naema must discover the true purpose of her magical voice.
Orphan Black’ meets Margaret Atwood in this twisty supernatural thriller about female power and the bonds of sisterhood
Josephine Morrow is Girl One, the first of nine โMiracle Babiesโ conceived without male DNA, raised on an experimental commune known as the Homestead. When a suspicious fire destroys the commune and claims the lives of two of the Homesteaders, the remaining Girls and their Mothers scatter across the United States and lose touch.
Years later, Margaret Morrow goes missing, and Josie sets off on a desperate road trip, tracking down her estranged sisters who seem to hold the keys to her motherโs disappearance. Tracing the clues Margaret left behind, Josie joins forces with the other Girls, facing down those who seek to eradicate their very existence while uncovering secrets about their origins and unlocking devastating abilities they never knew they had.
For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.
In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and volatile, and the price of her magicโlosing the ones she lovesโis too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.
In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference.
In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.
In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves… before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.
Practical Magic meets Twister in this debut contemporary fantasy standalone about heartbreaking power, the terror of our collapsing atmosphere, and the ways we unknowingly change our fate.
Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T. L. Huchu’s The Library of the Dead, a sharp contemporary fantasy following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh.
When a child goes missing in Edinburgh’s darkest streets, young Ropa investigates. She’ll need to call on Zimbabwean magic as well as her Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. But as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?
When ghosts talk, she will listen…
Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker. Now she speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children–leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honor-bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.
She’ll dice with death (not part of her life plan…), discovering an occult library and a taste for hidden magic. She’ll also experience dark times. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets, and Ropa’s gonna hunt them all down.
The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set in 1920s Harlem featuring Louise Lloyd, a young black woman caught up in a series of murders way too close to home…
Harlem, 1926. Young black girls like Louise Lloyd are ending up dead.
Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She’s succeeding, too. She spends her days working at Maggie’s Cafรฉ and her nights at the Zodiac, Manhattan’s hottest speakeasy. Louise’s friends might say she’s running from her past and the notoriety that still stalks her, but don’t tell her that.
When a girl turns up dead in front of the cafรฉ, Louise is forced to confront something she’s been trying to ignore–several local black girls have been murdered over the past few weeks. After an altercation with a local police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or let a judge make an example of her.
Louise has no choice but to take the case and soon finds herself toe-to-toe with a murderous mastermind. She’ll have to tackle her own fears and the prejudices of New York City society if she wants to catch a killer and save her own life in the process.
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Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Contemporary, LGBT+ | Pages: 272
A queer YA #MeToo reimagining of Thelma & Louise with the aesthetic of Riverdale, for fans of Mindy McGinnis, Courtney Summers, and Rory Power.
When Trixie picks up her best friend Lux for their weekend getaway, sheโs looking to escape for a little while, to forget the despair of being trapped in their dead-end Rust Belt town and the daunting responsibility of caring for her ailing mother. The girls are packing light: a supply of Diet Coke for Lux and her โ89 Canon to help her frame the world in a sunnier light; half a pack of cigarettes for Trixie that she doesnโt really smoke, and a knifeโone sheโs just hanging on to for a friendโthat sheโs never used before.
But a single night of violence derails their trip and will forever change the course of the girlsโ lives, as they go from ordinary high schoolers to wanted fugitives. Trying to stay ahead of the cops and a hellscape of media attention, the girls grapple with an unforgiving landscape, rapidly diminishing supplies, and disastrous decisions at every turn. As they are transformed by the media into the face of a #MeToo movement they didnโt ask to lead and the road before them begins to run out, Trixie and Lux realize that they can only rely on each other, and that the love they find together is the one thing that truly makes them free.
In rushing, powerful prose Julia Lynn Rubin takes readers on โa blistering, unapologetic thrill rideโ (Emma Berquis) that will leave them haunted and reeling. Trouble Girls is โa powerful, beautifully-written gut punchโ (Sophie Gonzales).
Books Releasing on June 8, 2021
Daughter of Sparta (Daughter of Sparta #1) by Claire M. Andrews
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, Adventure | Pages: 384
Sparta forged her into a deadly weapon. Now the Gods need her to save the world!
Seventeen-year-old Daphne has spent her entire life honing her body and mind into that of a warrior, hoping to be accepted by the unyielding people of ancient Sparta. But an unexpected encounter with the goddess Artemisโwho holds Daphne’s brother’s fate in her handsโupends the life she’s worked so hard to build. Nine mysterious items have been stolen from Mount Olympus and if Daphne cannot find them, the gods’ waning powers will fade away, the mortal world will descend into chaos, and her brother’s life will be forfeit.
Guided by Artemis’s twin-the handsome and entirely-too-self-assured god Apollo-Daphne’s journey will take her from the labyrinth of the Minotaur to the riddle-spinning Sphinx of Thebes, team her up with mythological legends such as Theseus and Hippolyta of the Amazons, and pit her against the gods themselves.
A reinterpretation of the classic Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo, Daughter of Sparta by debut author Claire Andrews turns the traditionally male-dominated mythology we know into a heart-pounding and empowering female-led adventure.
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Girls at the Edge of the World by Laura Brooke Robson
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, LGBT+ | Pages: 416
Set in a world on the edge of an apocryphal flood, this heart-stoppingly romantic fantasy debut is perfect for fans of Rachel Hartman and Rae Carson.
In a world bound for an epic flood, only a chosen few are guaranteed safe passage into the new world once the waters recede. The Kostrovian royal court will be saved, of course, along with their guards. But the fate of the court’s Royal Flyers, a lauded fleet of aerial silk performers, is less certain. Hell-bent on survival, Principal Flyer, Natasha Koskinen, will do anything to save the Flyers, who are the only family she’s ever known. Even if “anything” means molding herself into the type of girl who could be courted by Prince Nikolai. But unbeknownst to Natasha, her newest recruit, Ella Neves, is driven less by her desire to survive the floods than her thirst for revenge. And Ella’s mission could put everything Natasha has worked for in peril.
As the oceans rise, so too does an undeniable spark between the two flyers. With the end of the world looming, and dark secrets about the Kostrovian court coming to light, Ella and Natasha can either give in to despair . . . or find a new reason to live.
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The Jasmine Throne (Burning Kingdoms #1) by Tasha Suri
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Fantasy, LGBT+ | Pages: 576
Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess’s traitor brother.
Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters โ but is now little more than a decaying ruin.
Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Maliniโs chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.
But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priyaโs true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.
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The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Fantasy, Retelling | Pages: 432
In the vein of Naomi Novikโs New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Ardenโs national bestseller The Bear and the Nightingale, this unforgettable debutโ inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythologyโfollows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant.
In her forest-veiled pagan village, รvike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodlineโher 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 kingโs blood sacrifice, รvike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.
But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but รvike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except heโs no ordinary Woodsmanโheโs the disgraced prince, Gรกspรกr Bรกrรกny, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gรกspรกr 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, Gรกspรกr understands what itโs like to be an outcast, and he and รvike 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 รvike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gรกspรกr need to decide whose side theyโre on, and what theyโre willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.
Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek Tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alikeโparticularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.
Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Marianaโs niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.
Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?
When another body is found, Marianaโs obsession with proving Foscaโs guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everythingโincluding her own life.
A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her familyโs magic. The problem is, sheโs never been in loveโsheโll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.
After years of waiting for her Callingโa trial every witch must pass in order to come into their powersโthe one thing Voya Thomas didnโt expect was to fail. When Voyaโs ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agreesโand then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic.
Voya is determined to save her familyโs magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, sheโll first have to find the perfect guyโand fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesnโt count on is being paired with the infuriating Lucโhow can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?
With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, sheโll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.
The sequel to the hotly-anticipated Forest of Souls, an epic and immersive tale of destiny and sisterhood. Perfect for fans of Susan Dennard, Sarah J. Maas, and Netflix’s The Witcher!
The Soulless has woken from his centuries-long imprisonment. Now, he lurks in the Dead Wood recovering his strength, while Sirscha and her allies journey east to the shaman empire of Nuvalyn. Everyone believes she is a soulguideโa saviorโbut Sirscha knows the truth. Sheโs a monster, a soulrender like the Soulless, and if anyone discovers the truth, sheโll be executed.
But thereโs nothing Sirscha wonโt risk to stop the shaman responsible for the rot thatโs killing her best friend. While the Soulless is formidable, like all shamans, his magic must be channeled through a familiar. If Sirscha can discover whatโor whoโthat is, she might be able to cut him off from his power.
With Queen Meilyr bent on destroying the magical kingdoms, Sirscha finds herself caught between a war brewing in the east and the Soulless waiting in the west. She should be trying to unite what peoples she can to face their common enemies, but instead, her hunt for clues about the Soulless leads to a grim discovery, forcing Sirscha to question who her enemies really are.
Books Releasing on June 22, 2021
Darling by K. Ancrum
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Fantasy, Retelling, LGBT+ | Pages: 288
A teen girl finds herself lost on a dangerous adventure in this YA thriller by the acclaimed author of The Wicker King and The Weight of the Starsโreimagining Peter Pan for todayโs world.
On Wendy Darlingโs first night in Chicago, a boy called Peter appears at her window. Heโs dizzying, captivating, beautifulโso she agrees to join him for a night on the town.
Wendy thinks theyโre heading to a party, but instead theyโre soon running in the cityโs underground. She makes friendsโa punk girl named Tinkerbelle and the lost boys Peter watches over. And she makes enemiesโthe terrifying Detective Hook, and maybe Peter himself, as his sinister secrets start coming to light. Can Wendy find the courage to survive this nightโand make sure everyone else does, too?
Acclaimed author K. Ancrum has re-envisioned Peter Pan with a central twist that will send all your previous memories of J. M. Barrieโs classic permanently off to Neverland.
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Pretty Boys: Legendary Icons Who Embraced Their Beauty, Redefined Masculinity, and Changed the World by David Yi and Illustrated by Paul Tuller
Chanel and Goop might have seemed ahead of the curve when they launched their menโs beauty and wellness lines, but pharaohs were exfoliating, moisturizing, and masking eons earlier. Thousands of years before Harry Styles strutted down the red carpet with multicolored fingernails, Babylonian army officials had their own personal manicure sets. And BTS might have become an international sensation for their smoky eyes and perfect pouts, but the Korean Hwarang warriors who put on a full face before battle preceded them by centuries.
Pretty Boys unearths diverse and surprising beauty icons who have redefined what masculinity and gender expression look like throughout history, to empower us to live and look our truths. Whether youโre brand new to beauty, or you already have a ten-step routine, Pretty Boys will inspire and teach you how to find your best self through tutorials, beauty secrets, and advice from the biggest names in the beauty industry, Hollywood, and social media.
From Frank Oceanโs skin-care routine to Clark Gableโs perfectly styled hair, Rami Malekโs subtle eyeliner to a face beat to the gods ร la Boy George or Kimchi the drag queen, K-Beauty to clean beauty, Pretty Boys will completely change the way we all see gender expression and identity.
Books Releasing on June 29, 2021
The Chariot at Dusk (Tiger at Midnight #3) by Swati Teerdhala
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Fantasy, Mythology | Pages: 432
A queen at last. An empty palace. A kingdom to save.
Esha is reeling from Kunalโs betrayal, but she has a kingdom to rule from behind a thin smokescreenโpretending to be Princess Reha while she sends her most trusted soldiers to collect Reha and Kunal by any means necessary. Traitors, after all, must be punished.
But the Yavar are attacking from every frontโtracking down Kunal and Reha in the remote mountains, kidnapping Harunโin search of legendary artifacts that will give them the power to break the precarious janma bond and release the destructive magic back into the lands.
Now that the race is on to find the missing artifacts, Esha must put aside her rage and work with Kunal againโbut can she find the strength to forgive him, or will the Viper have her revenge at any cost?
In the final book of Swati Teerdhalaโs epic fantasy trilogy, the landsโ fate, their peopleโs livelihoods, and the bond that sustains their world all depend on what Kunal and Esha can offerโto the gods and to each other.For readers of VE Schwab and The Witcher, science and magic clash in atmospheric gaslight-era Prague.
In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of otherworldly creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters – a secret elite of monster hunters whose light staves off the darkness each night. Domek Myska leads a life teeming with fraught encounters with the worst kind of evil: pijavice, bloodthirsty and soulless vampiric creatures. Despite this, Domek find solace in his moments spent in the company of his friend, the clever and beautiful Lady Ora Fischerovรก– a widow with secrets of her own.
When Domek finds himself stalked by the spirit of the White Lady – a ghost who haunts the baroque halls of Prague castle – he stumbles across the sentient essence of a will-o’-the-wisp, a mischievous spirit known to lead lost travellers to their death, but who, once captured, are bound to serve the desires of their owners.
After discovering a conspiracy amongst the pijavice that could see them unleash terror on the daylight world, Domek finds himself in a race against those who aim to twist alchemical science for their own dangerous gain.
Life in the Caspian Republic has taught Agent Nikolai South two rules. Trust No One. And work just hard enough not to make enemies.
Here, in the last sanctuary for the dying embers of the human race in a world run by artificial intelligence, if you stray from the path โ your life is forfeit. But when a Party propagandist is killed โ and is discovered as a โmachineโ โ heโs given a new mission: chaperone the widow, Lily, who has arrived to claim her husbandโs remains.
But when South sees that she, the first โmachineโ ever allowed into the country, bears an uncanny resemblance to his late wife, heโs thrown into a maelstrom of betrayal, murder, and conspiracy that may bring down the Republic for good.
WHEN THE SPARROW FALLS illuminates authoritarianism, complicity, and identity in the digital age, in a page turning, darkly-funny, frightening and touching story that recalls Philip K. Dick, John le Carrรฉ and Kurt Vonnegut in equal measure.
War is destroying the galaxy. Esmae has vanished without a trace. A terrifying, ravenous beast is devouring the stars one by one. Titania is offered a gift that may well be a curse. Alexi, the exiled prince, is asked to pay a heavy price for his mistakes. And far, far away, on a dark, mysterious planet, a sleeping god stirs awake.
War or family.
Pride or peace.
As the end of the world draws ever closer, Esmae and Alexi must decide how far theyโll go to winโand who theyโll sacrifice along the way.
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That Weekend by Kara Thomas
Age Range: Young Adult | Genre: Thriller | Pages: 288
Three best friends, a lake house, a secret trip – what could go wrong?
It was supposed to be the perfect prom weekend getaway. But it’s clear something terrible happened when Claire wakes up alone and bloodied on a hiking trail with no memory of the past forty-eight hours.
Three went up the mountain, but only one came back.
Now everyone wants answers – most of all, Claire. She remembers Friday night, but after that… nothing. And now Kat and Jesse – her best friends – are missing.
That weekend changes everything.
What happened on the mountain? And where are Kat and Jesse? Claire knows the answers are buried somewhere in her memory, but as she’s learning, everyone has secrets – even her best friends. And she’s pretty sure she’s not going to like what she remembers.
Books Releasing on June 29, 2021
The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Fantasy, Novella | Pages: 104
From the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a magical journey of revenge and redemption.
Yalxi, the deposed Supreme Mistress of the Guild of Sorcerers, is on a desperate mission. Her lover and confidant seized her throne and stole the precious diamond heart, the jewel that is the engine of her power. Yalxi sets out to regain her magic and find a weapon capable of destroying the usurper. But this will mean turning to unlikely allies and opening herself up to unpleasant memories that have been suppressed for many years. For Yalxi is no great hero, but a cunning sorceress who once forged her path in blood โ and must reckon with the consequences.
Set in a fantastical land where jewels and blood provide symbiotic magical powers to their wearers, The Return of the Sorceress evokes the energy of classic sword and sorcery, while building a thoroughly fresh and exciting adventure ripe for our era.
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 youโre interested in!
Let’s Chat!
Which books coming out in June are you excited about? What have you read and would recommend? Letโs talk in the comments!
I'm Kal, a champion of books and boosting the voices of others who loves adventure. Reader Voracious Blog features bookish discussions, guides, and spoiler-free reviews of sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, and mystery books.
Reader Voracious is where Kal's adventures in books & nature are explored.
I’ve now read both of them and enjoyed them a bunch! That Weekend is fkn amazing and I don’t know if I can write a review that’s more than a keyboard smash haha
Omg there are truly so many amazing books coming out in June! ๐ฑ I’m especially excited for The Darkness Outside Us, Ace of Spades (!!), The Witch King, The Nature of Witches and Blood Like Magic โค
I can’t wait to read For the Wolf, I’m picking up my preordered copy from my local indie tomorrow. Too bad this month is so jam packed — why can’t I read all books at once?
[…] Video Games Help Calm Anxiety During Book Slumps ft. Game Recommendations & 28 New Books Hitting the Shelves in June 2021 | Anticipated Reads (Kal @ […]
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Reader Voracious supports Black Lives Matter and encourages you to get involved.
Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.
MAY THE HAZEL BRING YOU WISDOM AND THE ASPEN GUIDE AND PROTECT YOU…
The first daughter is for the Throne.
Two boys, alone in space.
A lush, feminist re-imagining on what happened to Wendy after Neverland, for fans of Circe and The Mere Wife. 
Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, a YA contemporary thriller by debut author Faridah รbรญkรฉ-รyรญmรญdรฉ about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully. 
Evil lives in a traveling carnival roaming the Depression-era South. But the carnivalโs newest act, a peculiar young woman with latent magical powers, may hold the key to defeating it. Her time has come.
To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancรฉ he left behind. This debut YA fantasy will leave you spellbound.
The Hate U Give meets Shadowshaper in Bethany C. Morrow’s A Chorus Rises, a brilliant contemporary fantasy set in the world of A Song Below Water.
Orphan Black’ meets Margaret Atwood in this twisty supernatural thriller about female power and the bonds of sisterhood
For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.
Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T. L. Huchu’s The Library of the Dead, a sharp contemporary fantasy following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh.
The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set in 1920s Harlem featuring Louise Lloyd, a young black woman caught up in a series of murders way too close to home…
A queer YA #MeToo reimagining of Thelma & Louise with the aesthetic of Riverdale, for fans of Mindy McGinnis, Courtney Summers, and Rory Power.
Sparta forged her into a deadly weapon. Now the Gods need her to save the world!
Set in a world on the edge of an apocryphal flood, this heart-stoppingly romantic fantasy debut is perfect for fans of Rachel Hartman and Rae Carson.
Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess’s traitor brother.
In the vein of Naomi Novikโs New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Ardenโs national bestseller The Bear and the Nightingale, this unforgettable debutโ inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythologyโfollows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant. 
Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek Tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alikeโparticularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens. 
A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her familyโs magic. The problem is, sheโs never been in loveโsheโll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.
The sequel to the hotly-anticipated Forest of Souls, an epic and immersive tale of destiny and sisterhood. Perfect for fans of Susan Dennard, Sarah J. Maas, and Netflix’s The Witcher!
A teen girl finds herself lost on a dangerous adventure in this YA thriller by the acclaimed author of The Wicker King and The Weight of the Starsโreimagining Peter Pan for todayโs world.
Chanel and Goop might have seemed ahead of the curve when they launched their menโs beauty and wellness lines, but pharaohs were exfoliating, moisturizing, and masking eons earlier. Thousands of years before Harry Styles strutted down the red carpet with multicolored fingernails, Babylonian army officials had their own personal manicure sets. And BTS might have become an international sensation for their smoky eyes and perfect pouts, but the Korean Hwarang warriors who put on a full face before battle preceded them by centuries.
A queen at last. An empty palace. A kingdom to save.
Life in the Caspian Republic has taught Agent Nikolai South two rules. Trust No One. And work just hard enough not to make enemies.
A prince without his kingdom.
Three best friends, a lake house, a secret trip – what could go wrong?
From the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a magical journey of revenge and redemption. 
Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.
MAY THE HAZEL BRING YOU WISDOM AND THE ASPEN GUIDE AND PROTECT YOU…
The first daughter is for the Throne.
Two boys, alone in space.
A lush, feminist re-imagining on what happened to Wendy after Neverland, for fans of Circe and The Mere Wife. 
Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, a YA contemporary thriller by debut author Faridah รbรญkรฉ-รyรญmรญdรฉ about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully. 
Evil lives in a traveling carnival roaming the Depression-era South. But the carnivalโs newest act, a peculiar young woman with latent magical powers, may hold the key to defeating it. Her time has come.
To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancรฉ he left behind. This debut YA fantasy will leave you spellbound.
The Hate U Give meets Shadowshaper in Bethany C. Morrow’s A Chorus Rises, a brilliant contemporary fantasy set in the world of A Song Below Water.
Orphan Black’ meets Margaret Atwood in this twisty supernatural thriller about female power and the bonds of sisterhood
For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.
Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T. L. Huchu’s The Library of the Dead, a sharp contemporary fantasy following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh.
The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set in 1920s Harlem featuring Louise Lloyd, a young black woman caught up in a series of murders way too close to home…
A queer YA #MeToo reimagining of Thelma & Louise with the aesthetic of Riverdale, for fans of Mindy McGinnis, Courtney Summers, and Rory Power.
Sparta forged her into a deadly weapon. Now the Gods need her to save the world!
Set in a world on the edge of an apocryphal flood, this heart-stoppingly romantic fantasy debut is perfect for fans of Rachel Hartman and Rae Carson.
Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess’s traitor brother.
In the vein of Naomi Novikโs New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Ardenโs national bestseller The Bear and the Nightingale, this unforgettable debutโ inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythologyโfollows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant. 
Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek Tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alikeโparticularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens. 
A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her familyโs magic. The problem is, sheโs never been in loveโsheโll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.
The sequel to the hotly-anticipated Forest of Souls, an epic and immersive tale of destiny and sisterhood. Perfect for fans of Susan Dennard, Sarah J. Maas, and Netflix’s The Witcher!
A teen girl finds herself lost on a dangerous adventure in this YA thriller by the acclaimed author of The Wicker King and The Weight of the Starsโreimagining Peter Pan for todayโs world.
Chanel and Goop might have seemed ahead of the curve when they launched their menโs beauty and wellness lines, but pharaohs were exfoliating, moisturizing, and masking eons earlier. Thousands of years before Harry Styles strutted down the red carpet with multicolored fingernails, Babylonian army officials had their own personal manicure sets. And BTS might have become an international sensation for their smoky eyes and perfect pouts, but the Korean Hwarang warriors who put on a full face before battle preceded them by centuries.
A queen at last. An empty palace. A kingdom to save.
Life in the Caspian Republic has taught Agent Nikolai South two rules. Trust No One. And work just hard enough not to make enemies.
A prince without his kingdom.
Three best friends, a lake house, a secret trip – what could go wrong?
From the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a magical journey of revenge and redemption. 
Yesha Soni
May 30, 2021 at 12:30 AMI have Dead Dead Girl and That Weekend NetGalley widget. They all sounds amazing. Great post!
Kal
June 11, 2021 at 10:07 PMI’ve now read both of them and enjoyed them a bunch! That Weekend is fkn amazing and I don’t know if I can write a review that’s more than a keyboard smash haha
Caro @ bookcheshirecat
May 30, 2021 at 2:30 AMOmg there are truly so many amazing books coming out in June! ๐ฑ I’m especially excited for The Darkness Outside Us, Ace of Spades (!!), The Witch King, The Nature of Witches and Blood Like Magic โค
Kal
June 11, 2021 at 10:08 PMTOO MANY BOOKS, NOT ENOUGH TIME! Happy reading, Caro!
Evelyn Coenen
May 30, 2021 at 4:49 AMSo many good books coming this month! I cannot wait for The Chosen and The Beautiful, For the Wolf, The Maidens, The Jasmine Throne and Ace of Spades!
Kal
June 11, 2021 at 10:11 PMAll of these books you listed are staring at me from my bookshelf lol. I hope we enjoy them!
thecritiquesofafangirl
May 30, 2021 at 6:11 AMAll of these books sounds soooo good especially For the Wolf, I canโt wait to read it
Kal
June 11, 2021 at 10:12 PMI can’t wait to read For the Wolf, I’m picking up my preordered copy from my local indie tomorrow. Too bad this month is so jam packed — why can’t I read all books at once?
thecritiquesofafangirl
June 12, 2021 at 3:24 AMLol, only if we could
Wendy Williams
May 30, 2021 at 8:45 AMThat’s a lot of books. I have Wendy Darling by A.C. Wise on my TBR. I’m looking forward to it.
Kal
June 11, 2021 at 10:13 PMThat’s a lot of books indeed, and I hope you enjoy Wendy Darling!
Juli
June 1, 2021 at 3:54 PMThanks for this! I already had a few on my TBR but I just discovered some more to add. So many great books are coming out this month!
Kal
June 11, 2021 at 10:35 PMYou’re welcome and happy reading, Juli!
What I’ve been up to in May ๐ธ Gloomy Weather & Lots of Work – The Bookcheshire Cat
June 8, 2021 at 1:12 PM[…] Video Games Help Calm Anxiety During Book Slumps ft. Game Recommendations & 28 New Books Hitting the Shelves in June 2021 | Anticipated Reads (Kal @ […]