There are a lot of new books coming out every week. With New Release Radar, I’ll help you narrow down the week’s new book releases into the titles you should get excited about. This week, I have seven great books to share with you, including an exciting sequel and a Golden Girls-themed cozy mystery. Read on!
New Book Releases – April 15
Chaos King by Kacen Callender
After defeating his father and saving New Anglia, Ash is haunted by nightmares of black orbs and his mother’s screams. He believes she’s trying to warn him of a looming threat. Struggling to adjust to his new life, Ash becomes obsessed with contacting her from beyond the grave. But even with his powerful alchemy, speaking to the dead proves far more dangerous than he imagined.
Chaos King is the explosive sequel to Kacen Callender’s YA debut Infinity Alchemist. With complex politics and intense magic, Callender brings readers deeper into the fascinating world he created.
RELATED: New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on April 8
Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
When Rose’s cousin elopes to Miami, Rose is determined to host a St. Olaf-approved wedding week. That means it needs to meet both quirky hometown traditions and the snobby in-laws’ standards. Meanwhile, Dorothy’s VHS dating service match turns out to be a dud – until he ends up dead in a cheesecake at the wedding kickoff party. With the groom’s family in shock and Rose’s cousin’s future at stake, the Girls must uncover the killer. As suspicions mount and chaos swirls, it’s up to Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sophia to save the wedding and clear Dorothy’s name.
If you think the characters in Murder by Cheesecake sound exactly like the Golden Girls, you’d be right! Rachel Ekstrom Courage’s adult debut is the first book in a Golden Girls cozy mystery series, and it reads just like an episode of the hit show.
Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman
After the death of his second parents, the ones who saved him, Griffon Keming is left with grief, questions, and a bloodstained journal. While Etoine and Zaffre helped him transition and gave him love, they were also haunted by a failed revolution and their own painful pasts. As Griffon reads his father’s prison-written journal, he uncovers a tragic, passionate love story between two artists shaped by loss and resistance. Through the pages, Griffon seeks to understand who they really were, and what they meant to him.
Isaac Fellman’s new book release grapples with questions of art, revolution, trans relationships, parenthood, addiction and mental health, all through a future, science-fictional lens. Notes from a Regicide is an introspective trans family saga that examines just how deep of an effect those we love have on us.
RELATED: Book Review: Luminous
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
In the empire of Orrun, seven elite contenders vie for the throne as Emperor Bersun’s reign comes to an end. When one of them is murdered, High Scholar Neema Kraa must solve the crime before the deadly trials conclude. As she navigates ancient secrets and political intrigue, she falls into a dangerous game with the fate of the empire at stake. But Neema isn’t truly alone. An enigmatic presence called the Raven is watching and guiding her, determined to see her succeed at any cost.
The Raven Scholar is an entertaining new story of competition, betrayal and a desperate quest to uncover the truth. Antonia Hodgson’s debut is an intricate, clever work of high fantasy you won’t want to miss.
A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang
Liu Lufeng, a princess of the bark-skinned Feng people, agrees to marry the human king to protect her land and people. Secretly, however, she plans to kill him. Her sacrifice will stop the cycle of forced marriages, sparing her youngest sister, Chuiliu, from the same fate. But as she uncovers hidden truths about her people’s origins and their ties to the humans, Lufeng realizes her sister will never truly be safe. She must abandon tradition, forge unlikely alliances and risk everything for freedom and a future of her own making.
With a rich world and lyrical, vivid prose, A Palace Near the Wind is a brutal and beautiful fantasy novella. Ai Jiang’s story is perfect for fans of Princess Mononoke and Nghi Vo’s The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
RELATED: Tavern Talk Thursday: Epic Fantasy Must-Watch Movies
The Fact Checker by Austin Kelly
For the Fact Checker, it seemed like just another day in 2004 New York City. The article “Mandeville/Green” was a simple piece about New Egypt Farm’s coveted Ramapo tomatoes. But a cryptic quote from volunteer Sylvia hinting at “nefarious business” at the market—“People sell everything here. It ain’t all green”—stopped him in his tracks. When Sylvia vanishes the next morning after spending an unexpectedly long evening with him, the Fact Checker is consumed by her disappearance. Did she uncover something sinister at New Egypt or its charismatic owner? Was she in danger? Or could the mystery stem from something he said?
Striking a balance between humor, wonder and sadness, The Fact Checker takes readers on a poignant journey through the hidden corners of New York City. As a former fact checker himself, Austin Kelly is the perfect person to write this debut.
Pride or Die by CL Montblanc
Seventeen-year-old Eleanora Finkel just wants to survive senior year and escape Texas. But her life takes a turn when she becomes the prime suspect in an attempted murder. After a cheerleader gets attacked during her LGBTQ+ club meeting, Eleanora and her friends must clear their names to protect themselves and ensure the future of their safe space. With zero detective skills, rising anxiety and a growing crush on the victim, Eleanora is in over her head. Armed with only a crochet hook and a stubborn will, she and her friends must solve the mystery before one of them becomes the next target.
CL Montblanc’s dark comedy debut is a delightful YA thriller. Pride or Die is full of social commentary, great plot twists and plenty of teen angst.
You can check out these new book releases at Bookshop.org or your local bookstore. What April 15 new release are you most excited to read? Let us know below, and tune in next week to grow your TBR.
- HEARTSTOPPER to End With Feature Film - April 22, 2025
- New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on April 22 - April 22, 2025
- New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on April 15 - April 16, 2025
