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. It’s an especially big week for new releases, and I have 11 great books to share with you. Read on!
The Words of Dr. L by Karen Bender
In The Words of Dr. L, National Book Award finalist Karen E. Bender weaves stories that span the real and the speculative, all circling one profound theme: the shifting bond between parent and child. From dystopian orbits to suburban kitchens, her characters face the separations that come with adolescence, aging and everything in between. Whether it’s a woman seeking secret words to stop a pregnancy or a mother who finds an unfamiliar child in her home, these stories capture the ache, strangeness, and power of family. Bender makes the ordinary extraordinary, illuminating what it means to hold on, and to let go.
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Daughters by Kirsty Capes
When famed British painter Ingrid Olssen lay dying, she made one final request to her daughters: burn it all. Every canvas, even her masterpiece Girls, a portrait of Mattie and Nora as children. Two years later, however, everything remains. Mattie, a single mom to a teenage daughter, still has it all locked away. Nora, spiraling into a mental health crisis, returns to Mattie’s doorstep, and they set out on an unexpected West Coast road trip with Mattie’s daughter and their mother’s ashes in tow. As they drive toward an exhibition their mother never wanted, the sisters must reckon with the ghosts she left behind.
Told partially through interviews from Ingrid’s biography, Daughters is the perfect read for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Kristy Capes’ new book release explores mental health, motherhood, fame and addiction in a powerful but entertaining way.
A Letter from the Lonesome Shore by Sylvie Cathrall
Former correspondents E. and Henerey never expected their long-distance courtship to continue after they met in person in an enigmatic underwater city. But when a passage through the Structure in E.’s garden strands them in a strange society obsessed with knowledge’s pleasures and dangers, they begin to accept – and even embrace – the idea that they may never return home. A year and a half later, their siblings, Sophy and Vyerin, uncover one of the long-lost Entries that might finally lead to a reunion. But as they draw nearer, so too does an ancient, cosmic threat poised to upend everything.
After its predecessor’s cliffhanger of an ending, A Letter from the Lonesome Shore is a satisfying conclusion to The Sunken Archive duology. Sylvie Cathrall’s follow-up is a charming and heart-warming magical academia fantasy.
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Espada: The Will of the Blade by Anabel Colazo, translated by Diego Jourdan Pereira
Magic once belonged to everyone, until a power struggle unleashed a demon that razed the world – or so the legend goes. Another tale whispers of a hero with a sword, who came to guide the Kingdom before vanishing without a trace. Now, only the queen wields magic, and no one dares question why. But Princess Ania, heir by duty rather than choice, is drawn to the truth hidden in the myths. Especially now that she’s found a mysterious sword of her own.
With a vibrant color palette and intriguingly deep characters, Espada is a graphic novel you won’t want to miss. Spanish cartoonist Anabel Colazo’s unique art style will keep readers enthralled until the end.
Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell
It’s the summer of 1989, and Joe Agabian flees heartbreak for Fire Island Pines. He’s seeking sun, freedom and a fresh start after losing his boyfriend to the AIDS crisis. Alongside his best friend Ronnie, he lands a job in paradise, only to find the island guarded by a dwindling coven of disco witches struggling to keep an ancient darkness at bay. As Joe stumbles into a strange romance with a dreamy, web-footed ferryman and glimpses a hauntingly beautiful stranger who may spell doom, he falls deeper into a world of magic, memory, and loss.
Part queer love story, part spellbound elegy, The Disco Witches of Fire Island is a radiant tale of resilience, chosen family and hope. While there are moments of loss, grief and devastation in Blair Fell’s new book release, the powerful presence of love and friendship make it all worth it.
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The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li
Vivian Yin is dead. The first Chinese actress to win an Oscar, she vanished at the height of her fame, retreating into silence behind the walls of her lush Southern California estate. Now, in the wake of her passing, her daughters expect to inherit the mansion where the secrets of their childhood still linger. But a final twist in Vivian’s will gives the house to another family, long estranged and suddenly returned. As both families move into the mansion, old wounds reopen and something darker awakens within the house’s flowering corridors. Grief turns into suspicion, and Vivian’s daughters are forced to confront not just the mystery of her final days, but the ghosts of a summer that changed everything.
Perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic and Siren Queen, Christina Li’s haunting novel tells the story of two families gone wrong. Spanning three generations, The Manor of Dreams is a sweeping, gothic tale of ambition, betrayal and the cost of chasing the American dream.
The Tenant by Freida McFadden
Blake Porter had it all – until everything fell apart. Fired from his dream job and drowning in debt, he’s desperate to keep his life from crumbling. So when Whitney – captivating, kind, and in need of a place to stay – shows up, she feels like a lifeline. But soon, something changes. The neighbors begin treating him differently. A rotting smell he can’t scrub out taints the air. And in the middle of the night, something stirs, something that knows what Blake’s hiding. Because danger isn’t always a stranger. Sometimes, it moves in with you. And by the time Blake realizes the truth, he’s already caught in the snare.
Freida McFadden’s newest thriller is a gripping story of revenge, privilege and secrets. The Tenant is a wild ride and a quick, bingeable read.
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The Vengeance by Emma Newman
Morgane grew up on the deck of the Vengeance, daughter of the ship’s captain. But when Anna-Marie is mortally wounded, she reveals a shattering truth. She is not Morgane’s mother. Reeling from the revelation that her real family is in France, Morgane leaves behind the only life she knows to uncover her past. What she finds is a world of opulence and shadow, where monsters wear crowns and ancient vendettas bleed through generations. As she unravels her real family’s dark history and her mother’s long-buried secrets, Morgane must decide where her loyalties lie, and who she wants to become.
The Vengeance is a swashbuckling tale of love, revenge and vampires. Emma Newman’s high seas retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo adds a supernatural flair to a familiar tale.
The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan
Jolie Lam is a loner with a haunted past—until a vision leads her to save Huong Pham, the most popular girl at school. Drawn into Huong’s world, Jolie discovers strange powers stirring within them both: visions, ancient memories and a language they’ve never learned. They are the reincarnated Trung Sisters, legendary warriors reborn. As enemies rise and old truths surface, Jolie must reclaim her power and decide who to trust before history repeats itself.
Aimee Phan’s fantasy debut is the start of an epic YA duology inspired by Vietnamese lore. The Lost Queen is full of ancient magic, the bonds of sisterhood and the power of self-discovery.
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Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma
Three years ago, Talia lived in a secluded community of women at the Neves, a mysterious hotel hidden in the Catskill Mountains. But when a night of electric lights and uniformed men shattered their haven, her mother was arrested, and Talia was torn from everything she knew. Now, at sixteen, living with distant relatives in a world built on the values her community rejected, Talia longs to return to the Neves. As she searches for answers about the betrayal that destroyed them and the magic that protected their home, she must confront her mother’s secrets and find her way back before the mist swallows her path forever.
I loved Nova Ren Suma’s previous YA novels, so I’m thrilled she has a new book release coming out. Wake the Wild Creatures is another gorgeous tale of the power of young women’s freedom and rage.
Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang
In the reclusive nation of Quanbao, where dragons are revered, not hunted, outsider Yeva arrives with a hidden face and a blood-bound legacy. They were born to slay dragons. Tasked with uncovering Quanbao’s secrets, Yeva must win the trust of its wary queen, Lady Sookhee, who guards her people fiercely and suspects the empire behind Yeva’s mission. As duty and desire collide, both must decide if understanding is possible between a weapon of war and a ruler born to protect.
Publisher Tordotcom describes Bright Than Scale, Swifter than Flame as “reminiscent of The Mandalorian and the Asian-inspired epic fantasy of She Who Became the Sun.” Neon Yang’s ambitious novella is a queer, Asian-inspired fantasy that successfully packs a lot into a small space.
You can check out these new book releases at Bookshop.org or your local bookstore. What May 6 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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