most anticipated releases of 2020, part one

It’s been a long time since I’ve made a Top Ten Tuesday post, hasn’t it? It’s still being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and you can find all the information on the weekly posts here. This week, everyone will be talking about their most anticipated releases for the first half of 2020. So, what are mine?

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore
I have never read an Anna-Marie McLemore book, but all of their novels are on my to-read list. Literally all I know about this book is that it has shoes that make you dance until you fall down dead. Sounds like an epic read to me… Plus, look at that cover! The covers for their books are always so gorgeous.

Release date: January 14

Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood by Anna Burke
Nottingham is on today’s list because it’s an LGBTQ+ retelling of Robin Hood in which Robin is a woman. Does that not sound like everything you’ve ever wanted in life??

Release date: January 21

Ink in the Blood (Ink in the Blood #1) by Kim Smejkal
I first clicked on this book because of the cover. It just screams “tattoo” to me. Combined with the tagline “one performance can change your destiny”, my curiosity was piqued. Apparently, this book includes tattoo magic, faith, and eccentric theater. It’s also marked as an LGBTQ+ book, although I have no idea what the rep in this book will be.

Release date: February 11th

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
Any N.K. Jemisin book will make it on my most anticipated list, because she writes the most incredible SFF books. This novel is about 5 New Yorkers who must come together to defend their city. In this world, every city has a soul. NYC has got 5. And every city has a dark side… THIS SOUNDS SO GOOD. Give it to me already!

Release date: March 26th

Queen of Coins and Whispers by Helen Corcoran
Another fantasy novel, of course. This is my list, after all, and I make no excuses for choosing my favorite genre. Queen of Coins and Whispers follows a teenage queen who inherits her uncle’s bankrupt kingdom, and brings a new spymaster into the fold. Another LGBTQ+ novel on the list, and unless I’m sorely mistaken, another f/f read.

Release date: April 6th

The Silence of Bones by June Hur
To add some variety to this list, I added The Silence of Bones. This is a historical fiction and mystery novel, two genres I want to dive into more. It’s set in Joseon in 1800 (Korea), where a young girl needs to assist the police in the investigation of a politically charged murder of a noblewoman.

Release date: April 21st 

Fence: Rivals by C.S. Pacat
I’ve been waiting for the next Fences story for ages, so this one definitely makes the most anticipated list. If you haven’t read these graphic novels, I highly recommend them. It’s got friendships, competition, fencing, enemies to friends (to hopefully lovers), and everything you could ever need.

Release date: May 19th

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
The title and cover alone are enough to land this book on my to-read list. The synopsis is the reason it ended up on my most anticipated list though. “When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.”

Release date: June 9th

The Gilded Ones (Deathless #1) by Namina Forna
I know I mention this constantly in this post, but this cover!! It’s so gorgeous. The Gilded Ones is a West-African inspired feminist fantasy, in which Deka goes through the blood ceremony that will determine whether she becomes part of her village or not. Only, her blood runs gold – the color of impurity. Then she becomes a warrior? I don’t know, it just sounds too good to be true.

Release date: May 26th

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
It’s kind of embarrassing of me to put a Zen Cho novel on this list if I’ve had one of her books for years and still haven’t read it, but I’m sticking with it. The synopsis got me with the first line: “A bandit walks into a coffeehouse, and it all goes downhill from there.” I’m in. I’ll buy a copy. Immediately. Then I saw it described as a found family wuxia fantasy, which truly solidified its place on my list.

Release date: June 23rd

---

These are 10 of my most anticipated reads for the first half of 2020! I’m definitely going to make a part 2 – and possibly 3 – of this. I had such a hard time narrowing it down to only 10 as there are so many exciting books being published!

Which books are you looking forward to?