Most Anticipated 2022 Releases

Hi everyone! It’s that time of the year for all the exciting wrap ups and best of the year posts, but it’s also time to start looking forward to 2022! I’ll be kicking these posts off with my most anticipated 2022 releases, which are books that I just CANNOT WAIT to get my hands on! Of course as more books are announced this list would get even longer, but this is what I’m anticipating right now. I’m not including Where the Drowned Girls Go or The North Wind in this list since I’ve already read them, and I want to focus on books that I haven’t read yet!

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The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne – This is the sequel to The Shadow of the Gods which, spoiler alert, was one of my FAVORITE books of 2021. If you’re looking for an epic Norse-inspired fantasy series that really makes you feel like you’re there alongside the characters, I highly recommend checking this one out. The cover reveal happened for this book recently and John Gwynne has been blessed by the cover gods, because this is absolutely stunning and I can’t wait to own and read it!

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – Of course this one had to make my list, as I love pretty much everything she writes! I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much from the first book other than some bits and pieces, and that I cried a LOT towards the end, but I’m hoping that once I start reading this one I’ll remember more! At this point, if you haven’t at least heard of SJM and you’re on any form of social media talking about books, I don’t know what to tell you.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan – A debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess. After being forced to flee her home and to save her mother, Xingyin must go on a quest to challenge the Celestial Emperor himself and strike a bargain. So many people are loving this one so far, and I’m about 25% into it and so far it’s been great!

For the Throne by Hannah Whitten – This is the final book in the Wilderwood duology following For the Wolf, which was such a great retelling of Red Riding Hood/Beauty and the Beast! I loved how dark the first book was and honestly I really loved Red and Eammon together, so I’m very excited to see what Hannah does with them and Neve!

The Helheim Princess by Tiana Warner – An LGBTQ+ fantasy with Norse mythology about a woman who wants to become a valkyrie? Sign me up! Sigrid sees a vision where she is leading the valkyries on the legendary horse Sleipnir, and in order to make the vision come true she enlists the help of an enemy valkyrie to find him.

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James – Most of the books on this list are fantasy with a few exceptions, and this is one of them. It’s about a true crime blogger who interviews a woman acquitted of two cold case murders but starts to think that maybe something isn’t quite right with the woman or the cases. I still have yet to read The Sun Down Motel from this author, but this synopsis just sounds completely like something I’ll love and I don’t know how I’m going to wait until March to read it!

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This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel – The other mystery/thriller on my anticipated reads list! I really enjoyed reading Darling Rose Gold from this author, and this time she’s writing about a cult and a woman desperate to save her sister and keep her secrets. I know Wrobel can write some really good twists and turns, so I’m very excited about this one!

Saint Death’s Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney – Lanie is born into a family of assassins, but has the ability to bring the dead back to life which really makes for some complicated family dynamics. That alone sounded really interesting and the way the synopsis is written in a kind of snarky manner makes me think that this book will be perfect for me!

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim – In this world there are four realms – Life, Death, Light and Darkness, and each realm has a God who each has an heir. The gods have withdrawn their favor from the city of dusk and without their favor, the realms are dying. The four heirs – a necromancer, an elementalist, a rogue and a soldier – form an alliance to save their city.

The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder – A gender-bent Sleeping Beauty retelling mixed with Indiana Jones? That’s not a combination that I was expecting, but it sounds interesting nonetheless!

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Shadows in the Deep by Helena V Paris – The author said that this is a more adult, spicier version of Percy Jackson with enemies to lovers set in Atlantis, where the nereid Amphitrite is the daughter of King Nereus, until Poseidon steals the throne. Amphitrite enters into a marriage of convenience with intentions of stealing the throne back.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long – a young woman and her prized fighting wolf on the run are offered a way off her planet by a team of scientists, but the catch is that she must get them to the finish line of the planet’s dangerous sled race. It sounds very much like Balto meets science fiction, and I love anything that has sled racing, so this sounds so good!

Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham – The synopsis of this one is so vague yet makes me think that I’m going to really enjoy this one! Alys is a petty thief whose brother is murdered and she sets out to discover why, but what she learns is very dangerous. Sounds mysterious! I haven’t yet read anything from this author on his own, but he’s one half of the author duo James S.A. Corey who wrote The Expanse, which I did start to read and really liked the writing of.

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes – Titanic meets The Shining, but in space. If that isn’t enough, this follows a salvage crew who pics up a distress signal and decides to investigate, only to find a famous luxury space-liner that disappeared on it’s maiden voyage of the solar system 20 years earlier. They expect this to turn around their fortunes, but instead they find whispers in the dark, words written in blood, and a nightmare that isn’t over yet.

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan – The first in a new trilogy, this follows Sir Konrad Vonvalt, who is an Emperor’s Justice which is a detective, judge and executioner. He starts to investigate the murder of a noblewoman and discovers a conspiracy that could destroy his order and bring down the Empire.

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Rise of the Mages by Scott Drakeford – This one is a fantasy debut and is the first in a trilogy! Emrael wants to be a weapons master, and discovers that he has powerful magical abilities. He wants to use those abilities to save his brother, but to do so he needs to take his places as the last of the ancient Mage Kings.

Seven Mercies by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May – The sequel to Seven Devils which I really enjoyed last year! This is a feminist space opera duology that follows a group of rebels who are determined to bring the Empire down.

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne – This is a dark retelling of Rapunzel and it sounds so interesting! It’s being told from the perspective of the witch who put Rapunzel in her tower and has evil princes, mysterious woods, and of course magic! This is a historical fantasy set in medieval Germany, and releases on July 26th.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh – This is inspired by Spirited Away and the Korean myth The Tale of Shim Cheong. It follows a girl named Mina who takes the place of her brother’s beloved as the Sea God’s bride in order to save them both. She soon learns that the Sea God is in an enchanted sleep, and she must wake him in order to stop the deadly storms that ravage her homeland. It sounds so interesting and the cover is beautiful!

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas – A new Mexican inspired fantasy duology where teen semidioses compete in the Sunbearer Trials, where the winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the honor of being sacrificed to Sol and their body is used to power the Sun Stones. I’ve also seen this pitches as Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games, and Aiden Thomas is definitely an author to keep an eye on!

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What are your must read books of 2022?

I’ll have more lists coming out over the next few weeks, including backlist books I would like to read in 2022, my top 10 of 2021, and a few others!