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 nine great books to share with you, including a timely work of historical fiction and a delightfully unhinged debut thriller. Read on!
Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry
When Amber Winslow flees her old life, she finds unexpected refuge at her eccentric grandmother’s retirement community. Once there, however, she stumbles into a murder mystery involving a missing heirloom and a vanished tortoise. With suspicion falling on her newly discovered grandmother, Amber must uncover the truth to clear her name, even if it means confronting secrets she’d rather leave buried.
Tamara Berry’s new book release is a fun, light-hearted cozy mystery. Murder Runs in the Family takes place at a retirement community and is perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.
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When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley
In 1910s New York, orphaned blacksmith Benny Caldera builds a tank for Luna Park and discovers its shocking purpose: to imprison a living merman. As Benny forms a deep bond with the captive Río, he must choose between the life he’s built and the freedom of the one he’s falling for. His decision could cost him everything, or set them both free.
Full of lush illustrations and lyrical prose, When the Tides Held the Moon is an unforgettable fairytale set in New York. Venessa Vida Kelley’s debut is a strong story about found family and the joy of belonging.
City of All Seasons by Oliver K. Langmead and Aliya Whiteley
In a city split by cataclysm into endless winter and scorching summer, Jamie and Esther Pike live on opposite sides of a fractured Fairharbour. As they find a way to communicate across the divide, they uncover the mystery of their city’s rupture and fight to heal their broken worlds. Together, they may be the key to reuniting Fairharbour – and freeing it from its oppressors.
Oliver K. Langmead and Aliya Whiteley join forces in this emotional, vibrant work of science fantasy. City of All Seasons is a uniquely imaginative and unapologetically unconventional genre blender.
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The Accidentals by Guadalupe Nettel, translated by Rosalind Harvey
In The Accidentals, eight haunting stories explore the lives of characters unmoored by sudden, unsettling events. A girl encounters an uncle long cast out from the family; a menacing, unseen force presses down on a rural holiday; a man’s quiet dissatisfaction leads him into unforeseen territory. Between the real and the fantastical, Guadalupe Nettel weaves a world where lost bearings reveal hidden truths, unexpected consequences and the quiet devastation of ordinary lives thrown off course.
The Floating World by Axie Oh
Sunho, an ex-soldier with no memory of his past, survives in the darkened Under World by taking mercenary jobs. His next is hunting down a girl who wields forbidden silver light. Ren, a spirited acrobat, unleashes her hidden powers to save her family from a monstrous attack, setting her on a dangerous journey across the mountains she once fled. When Sunho and Ren’s paths cross, neither realizes how deeply their fates – and their forgotten histories – are entwined. As dark forces gather, they must choose between duty and a bond that could change everything.
Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in Axie Oh’s exciting new series. The Floating World reimagines the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens into a whirlwind of magic, adventure and angst.
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One Way Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
As a teen, Najeeba mastered powerful magic, only to leave it behind after tragedy. Now in her forties and grieving her daughter Onyesonwu, she seeks the legendary Mystic Points to kill something terrible that threatens the world her daughter saved. With the help of Onyesonwu’s hard-headed mentor Aro, Najeeba must confront the past she buried to forge a new future. She is her daughter’s mother, and her fight is only beginning.
One Way Witch show’s Najeeba’s side of the time immediately before and after her daughter’s remaking of the world in Who Fears Death. Nnedi Okorafor’s new book release continues an ever-growing story of trauma and catharsis.
Awakened by A.E. Osworth
On an ordinary morning, 30-something Brooklynite Wilder suddenly awakens to the ability to understand every language on Earth. Taken in by a coven of trans witches, Wilder begins to find belonging. Soon, however, a malicious AI appears, threatening to unravel both their found family and the magical world itself. As danger looms, the group must decide what kinds of consciousness – artificial, material, or magical – are too dangerous to let survive. In a rapidly changing world, trust and unity may be their only salvation.
Awakened is an exhilarating, funny and thought-provoking story about creating our own realities, finding community, and what it truly means to have a body. A.E. Osworth offers an ambitious, joyously queer urban fantasy that’s a truly unique read.
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The Lilac People by Milo Todd
In 1932 Berlin, Bertie, a trans man, works at the Institute of Sexual Science and finds joy at the Eldorado Club—until Hitler’s rise shatters his world. Forced into hiding with his girlfriend Sofie, they live in isolation for over a decade. When they discover a young trans man escaping Allied forces, Bertie must fight to protect him, even as new dangers close in. Their only hope for survival may lie in a risky escape to the United States.
The Lilac People portrays a time before and after World War 2, providing insight into a mostly unknown part of history. Milo Todd’s debut is a moving and deeply human story of freedom and love that’s all too timely.
Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
After her estranged twin sister, influencer Chloe VanHuusen, dies under suspicious circumstances, supermarket cashier Julie Chan seizes the chance to step into her glamorous life. At first, impersonating Chloe feels almost effortless. But behind the designer clothes and millions of followers lurk dangerous secrets. On a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s exclusive circle, Julie must unravel the mystery of her sister’s death before she becomes the next victim.
Taking everything to the extreme is the name of the game in Liann Zhang’s wild debut. With commentary on identity, influencers and internet fame, Julie Chan is Dead is an entertaining and delightfully unhinged thriller.
You can check out these new book releases at Bookshop.org or your local bookstore. What April 29 new release are you most excited to read? Let us know below, and tune in next week to grow your TBR.
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