Want to know what fantasy novels should be on your radar this year? This is a list of fantasy titles I am personally most excited about for the first half of 2018 (I’ll make another list for July – December ). This list is mostly young adult (YA) fantasy titles as I have to be in the know about them as the owner of Unicorn Crate, but the genre is also what I just personally love to read and write! There are a few YA Sci fi and adult fantasy titles in here, as I am always excited for those too. All links are to the goodreads page for each book. What books are you most looking forward to this year?
January
2018 starts of with a bang! This is a huge release month and there are a whopping fourteen January releases I’m excited about. So far I’ve read about five of them… I’ll update my reviews etc on Goodreads as the year goes on and post about what I’m reading on Instagram too if you want to follow along.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – Jan 2 (YA fantasy)
Everless by Sara Holland – Jan 2 (YA fantasy)
A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole – Jan 2 (YA sci-fi / fantasy)
Beneath the Haunting Sea by Joanna Meyer – Jan 8 (YA fantasy)
The Lost Plot (The Invisible Library #4) by Genevieve Cogman – Jan 9 (fantasy)
Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner – Jan 9 (YA sci fi)
Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings – Jan 16 (YA sci fi / space opera)
Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk – Jan 16 (YA fantasy)
Iron Gold (Red Rising, #4) by Pierce Brown – Jan 16 (fantasy)
Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh – Jan 23 (YA fantasy)
The Defiant (The Valiant, #2) by Lesley Livingston – Jan 23 (YA fantasy)
Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra – Jan 23 (YA fantasy)
The Hazel Wood By Melissa Albert – Jan 30 (YA fantasy)
Reign the Earth (The Elementae #1) by A.C. Gaughen – Jan 30 (YA fantasy)
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February
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton – Feb 6 (YA fantasy)
Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles #1) by Tamora Pierce – Feb 6 (YA fantasy)
The Book of Pearl by Timothée de Fombelle – Feb 6 (YA fantasy)
The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross – Feb 6 (YA fantasy)
Ink Iron and Glass by Gwendolyn Clare – Feb 20 (YA fantasy)
The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen – Feb 27 (YA fantasy)
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman – Feb 27 (YA fantasy)
Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston – Feb 27 (YA sci fi)
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March
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw – Mar 6 (YA fantasy)
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Chriso – Mar 6 (YA fantasy)
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi – Mar 6 (YA fantasy)
Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst – Mar 6 (YA fantasy)
Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – Mar 13 (YA sci fi)
Torn (The Unraveled Kingdom #1) by Rowenna Miller – Mar 20 (fantasy)
The Queen’s of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton – Mar 27 (fantasy)
The Continent by Keira Drake – Mar 27 (YA fantasy)
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April
Stormcaster (Shattered Realms #3) by Cinda Williams Chima – Apr 3 (YA fantasy)
Sleight (AVRA-K #1) by Jennifer Sommersby – Apr 3 (YA fiction / paranormal)
Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – Apr 10 (YA fantasy / dark fantasy)
Winter Glass by Lexa Hillyer – Apr 10 (YA Fairy Tales & Folklore)
Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake – Apr 10 (YA fantasy)
Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier – Apr 10 (YA fantasy)
The Diminished (Untitled Duology #1) by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson – Apr 10 (YA fantasy)
Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor #2) by Mark Lawrence – Apr 19 (fantasy / epic)
Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian – Apr 24 (YA fantasy)
Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young – Apr 24 (YA fantasy / epic)
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May
A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas – May 1 (YA fantasy)
The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green – May 1 (YA fantasy)
Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne – May 1 (YA fantasy / sci fi)
The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross – May 3 (fantasy / fairy tale))
The Queen Underneath by Stacey Filak – May 8 (YA dark fantasy)
The Traitor’s Ruin (Traitor’s Circle, #2) by Erin Beaty – May 9 (YA fantasy)
Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett – May 15 (YA fantasy)
The Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer – May 15 (fantasy)
Furyborn (Empirium #1) by Claire Legrand – May 22 (YA fantasy)
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June
Smoke in the Sun (Flame in the Mist #2) by Renee Ahdieh – June 2 (YA fantasy)
Sweet Black Waves by Kristina Perez – June 5 (YA fantasy)
Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf – June 5 (YA fantasy)
The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen – June 5 (YA fantasy)
Rage (Stormheart #2) by Cora Carmack – June 12 (YA fantasy)
The Mermaid by Christina Henry – June 19 (fantasy / historical fiction)
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh, Elsie Chapman – June 26 (YA / fairy tales & folklore / anthology)
Hopefully this list is helpful to someone out there! I’ll put together another post for the July-December 2018 book releases I’m most excited about once they’ve all been announced by the publishers. Happy reading! – Naomi
Daughters Of Twilight
June 9, 2020 at 12:53 am (3 years ago)Great List! Thanks for sharing. Really excited to buy this books.