Just glancing at these books makes me think that August is a month for female-oriented new fantasy releases. Not only are 4 out of 5 featured books written by female authors, the covers are also adorned with women. Let’s discover August 2016’s top 5 of new fantasy releases!
- Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter (Soulwood #1)
Publication date: August 2nd 2016
Set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, an all-new series starring Nell Ingram, who wields powers as old as the earth. Nell has come to PsyLED, a Homeland Security agency policing paranormals, and agent Rick LaFleur has shown up at Nell’s doorstep. His appearance forces her out of her isolated life into an investigation that leads to the vampire Blood Master of Nashville. Nell has a team—and a mission. But to find the Master’s kidnapped vassal, Nell and the PsyLED team will be forced to go deep into the heart of the very cult Nell fears, infiltrating the cult and a humans-only terrorist group before time runs out… - Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
Publication date: August 16th 2016
Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is engaged to Captain Benjamin Hartshorne, an intelligence officer. Ginger is a medium for the Spirit Corps, a special Spiritualist force. While Ben is away at the front, Ginger discovers the presence of a traitor. Without the presence of her fiance to validate her findings, the top brass thinks she’s just imagining things. Even worse, it is clear that the Spirit Corps is now being directly targeted by the German war effort. Left to her own devices, Ginger has to find out how the Germans are targeting the Spirit Corps and stop them. This is a difficult and dangerous task for a woman of that era, but this time both the spirit and the flesh are willing… - The Gentleman by Forrest Leo
Publication date: August 16th 2016
A funny, fantastically entertaining debut novel, in the spirit of Wodehouse and Monty Python, about a famous poet who inadvertently sells his wife to the devil–then recruits a band of adventurers to rescue her. Lionel and his friends encounter trapdoors, duels, anarchist-fearing bobbies, the social pressure of not knowing enough about art history, and the poisonous wit of his poetical arch-enemy. Fresh, action-packed and very, very funny, The Gentleman is a giddy farce that recalls the masterful confections of P.G. Wodehouse and Hergé’s beautifully detailed Tintin adventures. - A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet (Kingmaker Chronicles #1)
Publication date: August 2nd 2016
Catalia “Cat” Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice…
Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle, Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he’s ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in love with her. - Breath of Earth by Beth Cato (Breath of Earth #1)
After the Earth’s power is suddenly left unprotected, a young geomancer must rely on her unique magical powers to survive in this fresh fantasy series from the author of acclaimed The Clockwork Dagger. In an alternate 1906, the United States and Japan have forged a powerful confederation in an attempt to dominate the world. In San Francisco, headstrong Ingrid Carmichael is assisting a group of powerful geomancer Wardens who have no idea of the depth of her power—or that she is the only woman to possess such skills. Forced on the run, Ingrid makes some shocking discoveries about herself. Her powerful magic has grown even more fearsome . . . and she may be the fulcrum on which the balance of world power rests.
I like the description and cover for Blood of the Earth. It seems like an interesting combination between paranormal YA and an exciting romance novel. I’ve put it on my to-read list, along with A Promise of Fire, which seems like a combo of romance and magical YA – my favourite YA genre! I might wait till the entire series is out before I start reading however, I don’t like having to wait for years to finish the story.
Other new releases of August 2016 can be found by genre right here on Goodreads.
How about you guys? Which new fantasy releases will end up on your to-read lists?
Happy reading,
Loes M.