Once again, it’s that time of year! Bibliophiles from all over bravely journey against the heat (or this year, the rain) to the Javits Center to meet authors and find all kinds of new books at the largest book-centric convention of the year: BookExpo and BookCon! (Usually, media, authors, book publishing professionals, booksellers, and librarians attend BookExpo, while the general public jumps into BookCon—think comic-con, but exclusively for all of the books and authors you love. It’s wondrous, magical chaos.)
BookExpo (formerly known as BEA) is a trade show that covers every genre and type of book—but each year I attend, I specifically seek out Speculative Fiction (of which there is a ton). Also an SFF fan and attending BookExpo and/or BookCon? Here’s the list of titles that we are most excited about this year:
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. The *eagerly* anticipated follow-up to Novik’s beautiful dark fairytale Uprooted, Spinning Silver tells the tale of the daughter of a failing money-lender. In order to help her family, she takes a bag full of silver… and turns it into gold. A reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin, Spinning Silver can be read as a standalone novel (though Uprooted is totally awesome and you should read it if you haven’t yet).
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders. The new novel from Nebula Award winner Charlie Jane Anders, The City in the Middle of the Night transports readers to a world of harsh extremes, where day and night—waking and dreams—are controlled by those in power.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Grisha trilogy, but loved Bardugo’s follow-up duology, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. This new novel, King of Scars, is the start of a new duology following Nikolai Lanstov (the prince from the original Grisha trilogy) as he grapples with dark magic within.
The Girl King by Mimi Yu. Two sisters, Lu and Min, have known their entire lives that Lu is to become the Empire’s first female leader with Min supporting her. And then their father declares one of their male cousins as heir—and the war begins.
The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson. I absolutely loved The Traitor Baru Cormorant, a fantasy novel set in an alternate world that showed the long-standing effects of colonialism, and a woman who vows to overthrow the system by ingratiating herself within it. This sequel is everything.
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee. The first middle grade novel from Yoon Ha Lee (under Rick Riordan’s new imprint!), Dragon Pearl is a science fiction novel about a teenage fox spirit who leaves her planet in search of her older brother. I love Yoon Ha Lee’s complicated, challenging hard sci-fi adult novels (Ninefox Gambit, Raven Stratagem) and cannot wait to read his new foray into middle grade.
Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore. Described as the Latinx Swan Lake you’ve always wanted, Blanca & Roja is a retelling of the classic ballet and inspired by fairy tales. Written by master of magical realism McLemore, drawing on her own heritage, we cannot wait to get our hands on this book.
20th Anniversary Harry Potter Editions (art by Brian Selznick). The new 20th anniversary editions of Harry Potter are here and they are BEAUTIFUL. Brian Selznick, the author/artist behind the iconic The Invention of Hugo Cabret, drew the gorgeous covers, as well as the beautiful poster combining all of the art.
And that’s it from us! What SFF books are you looking forward to hunting for at BookExpo and/or BookCon this year?
