Can you believe 2023 is already here? There are so many things to look forward to this new year, and one of the most exciting is all the new sequels coming our way! This list may contain some spoilers but read on to check out our eight most anticipated sequels releasing in 2023.
January 10
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
Alex Stern is back at Yale and ready to break Darlington out of hell. When those in charge forbid them from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes assemble a team of their own and engage in some dangerous magic to get the gentleman of Lethe back to the land of the living. But when Yale faculty start dying — and Alex’s past catches up with her — she’ll have to reckon with more darkness than she’s seen before.
This much-anticipated sequel to 2019’s Ninth House is a wild ride from start to finish. Leigh Bardugo once again does what she does best, filling Hell Bent with grisly magic, fantastic characters and a breathless plot.
RELATED: Book Review: When the Angels Left the Old Country
February 7
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
Four years after the events of My Heart Is a Chainsaw, Jade Daniels is finally released from prison. However, her return to Proofrock falls on the same day Dark Mill South, a notorious serial killer, escapes a prison transport in a blizzard. He’s out seeking revenge for 38 Dakota men hanged in 1862, and the bodies he leaves behind have fingers pointing at Jade once more.
Don’t Fear the Reaper is bloodier and wilder than its predecessor. The events occur over two frantic days in the middle of a snowstorm, adding a desperate sense of urgency to the story. This is a sequel you don’t want to miss.
February 14
The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan
The Battle of Galen’s Vale may be over, but the war for the Empire has just begun. Sir Konrad Vonvalt returns to Sova and finds a city on the brink of rebellion. Politicians speak out openly against the Empire, and fanatics preach holy vengeance. When someone kidnaps the Emperor’s grandson, Vonvalt finds himself facing off against evil once more.
The Tyranny of Faith is an excellent sequel to The Justice of Kings. It’s significantly darker, full of forbidden magic, demons and other horrifying creatures. It fully embraces its fantastical elements and comes to a truly epic conclusion that will leave readers ready for more.
RELATED: GGA’s 7 Best Fantasy Books of 2022
February 21
Unspoken Magic by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Deep in the redwoods, there’s a magical town with its own set of rules. In Aldermere, you must feed the crows, or they’ll steal your trash. There’s a bridge with a toll no one knows the cost of and a tea shop that vanishes if you aren’t invited in. Fin may have saved Aldermere from people trying to exploit its magic once before, but her plans are foiled when she and her friends find a baby bigfoot. Things get even more complicated when a film crew arrives intent to add Aldermere to their web show debunking strange locations. Once again, Fin must protect Aldermere from those that mean to harm her home.
I adored the first installation of this middle-grade adventure, Unseen Magic. Emily Lloyd-Jones has created a perfectly cozy world that I’m thrilled to return to in the sequel.
February 28
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
As a sister of the Priory, Tunuva Melim has trained for fifty years to slay wyrms. However, it’s been centuries since the Nameless One appeared, and members of the Priory begin to question its existence. Meanwhile, Queen Sabran the Ambitious has finally married and saved two realms from ruin in the process. But some want to wake the dragons of the East from their slumber. When the Dreadmount erupts, these women must figure out how to protect humanity from a devastating threat.
RELATED: GGA’s 7 Best Science Fiction Books of 2022
Technically, A Day of Fallen Night is a prequel, not a sequel, but there was no way I could leave it off my list. You don’t have to read The Priory of the Orange Tree first since this takes place centuries earlier, but why wouldn’t you want to? Samantha Shannon‘s follow-up is another slow-burn political novel set against the backdrop of a dragon war. Don’t let the size of this book scare you away; it’s worth the work.
March 7
The Faithless by C.L. Clark
The rebels won, and the empire is withdrawing from Qazal. If Luca wants to oust her uncle and claim her spot on the throne, she must return to Balladaire. Meanwhile, Touraine has finally found a home in the newly free country of Qazal. If Luca doesn’t become queen, however, Qazal may end up right back where it started. When her uncle calls for a “Trial of Competence” and her allies begin to disappear, Luca and Touraine must overcome their history to survive.
I’m not saying you should read this series just because of its amazing covers, but I’m obsessed with them. C.L. Clark‘s debut, The Unbroken, made me so emotional, and I can’t wait for the sequel to wreck me all over again.
RELATED: Sapphics With Swords: 6 Books Featuring Queer Lady Warriors
June 20
He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
Zhu Yuanzhang is now the Radiant King. She freed southern China from its Mongol masters but still hungers for more. She wants to seize the throne for herself and become emperor of all of China. But her enemies are growing strong. In the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang wants the throne for her husband. Meanwhile, Wang Baoxiang, a scorned scholar, has made his way into the capital to seek revenge and become the most degenerate Great Khan in history. Is there a price too high to pay when your desire is the entire world?
I can’t wait to get my hands on the final book in The Radiant King duology. She Who Became the Sun took everyone by storm when it came out in 2021 — you can check out our full review here! He Who Drowned the World is full of just as much backstabbing, cold-blooded ambition and even higher stakes.
RELATED: GGA’s 7 Best Book Debuts of 2022
October 10
Alecto the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
This is maybe my most anticipated book on this list, considering it was supposed to come out in 2022. But the postponement means we got Nona the Ninth and a chance to spend a little longer in the world of The Locked Tomb. There isn’t much news right now about the plot of Alecto the Ninth, aside from the fact that it begins where Nona ended. In an interview with Tor.com, author Tamsyn Muir said of her finale, “Camilla, Palamedes, Pyrrha and Nona are love’s dress rehearsal for the last book. You have not begun to see the horrors of love.” I don’t think it’s possible to be ready for this one.
These are just a few of the many, many sequels coming out in 2023. Let us know what you’re most looking forward to reading below!
- Fantasy Books Bridgerton Fans Need To Read - May 16, 2024
- Take a Look at New THE LAST OF US Season 2 Images - May 15, 2024
- New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on May 14 - May 15, 2024
