26 Highly-Anticipated Books of Summer 2021

Hey, there avid readers! I know many of you are looking forward to the summer. Summer means no school, nice weather, and long vacations. Since I live in Florida…well, let’s just say, I’m not really looking forward to the summer weather. It gets too hot and too humid. However, what I am looking forward to are the many books coming out this summer! For me, it is all about reading, reading, reading! So check out this list I’ve put together of my highly anticipated books (in no particular order) coming out in Summer 2021. Are there any here that you’re looking forward to?

1. Grace and Glory
Grace and Glory by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the final novel in the Harbinger series. Excuse me while I scream a little. I am so excited about this novel having read the two previous novels in the series. You can check out my reviews here if you’re interested. Now, given how Rage and Ruin ended I am still at the edge of my seat. This has been such a good series thus far I’m both elated and devastated to see how it is going to end.

2. 14 Ways to Die
14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph sounds like it is taking Agatha Cristie’s And Then There Were None and bringing it into the modern age of social media. I love a good murder-mystery and I love Agatha Cristie’s work. So you can assume, correctly, that I have read many a retelling of And Then There Were None. But this one stands out way more than others I’ve read and heard about which is why I’m really looking forward it. I’m also hoping there will be some commentary on the dangers of living on social media. Subtext guys, I love subtext.

3. Ace of Spades
Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide is combining Gossip Girl and Get Out? Excuse me, but I am here for that. I am a longtime fan of the Gossip Girl books, I love my east enders, and Get Out was such an amazing movie I watched it twice at the theaters. Ace of Spades is the YA contemporary thriller about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully. I’m also trying to make a conscious effort to branch out and read books with diverse characters and support black authors. So I’m really excited about this and I hope you all are too!

4. The Nature of Witches
The Nature of Witches just sounds amazing. It follows Clara, a witch who can control the climate. Witches have always been tied to nature and the changing of seasons so I’m excited! I love that this novel is going to be going through all four seasons, and I feel like it is going to be full of amazing character growth, and wonderful magic.

5. Curse of the Specter Queen
You know, I have never read a Samantha Knox novel. Shocker right, considering it looks up my alley. Considering what this new novel is about, I am probably going to start. It has fantasy, adventure, the Celtic Goddess of Vengeance and Death! Seriously, have I been living under a rock? And it takes place in the 1920s. I am here for this and I need to catch up on the rest of the series because starting here simply will not do.

6. Daughter of Sparta
Greek Mythology? Check. Ancient Greece setting? Check. Strong female protagonist? Check. Artemis!? Check! Okay, so this novel has everything that I love so I am super excited about what is going to happen here. Daughter of Sparta is a “reinterpretation of the classic Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo,” that takes Daphne to the Minotaur, the Sphinx, and has her team up with Theseus and Hippolyta. Honestly, what is there not to be excited about.

7. Fire with Fire
I think we all know by now that I love anything that has to do with dragons. Love them! So Fire with Fire, a YA contemporary fantasy where people are raised to be dragon slayers. Dani ends up forging a bond with a dragon and her sister Eden ends up siding with a dark sorcerer to “save” her sister. Sisters on opposite sides, trying to save the other, I am kind of excited about this.

8. Sisters of the Snake
Okay, so when I first read the synopsis of this novel I thought “Prince and the Pauper” retelling. But it looks like so much more than that. It follows Princess Rani and street urchin Ria who discover they are identical. Ther is deadly magic, hidden temples, and dark prophecies that are just screaming “read me, Cynthia, read me.”

9. Darling
I cannot get enough of these Peter Pan retellings. The title is a dead giveaway about that. And it is a perfect modern-day reimagining. Darling follows Wendy, who finds herself captivated by this boy Peter who appears on her windowsill on her first night in Chicago. (Go Cubs!) Taken to the city’s underground for what she thought was a party (don’t go out with strangers kids) she meets a punk girl named Tinkerbelle and the lost boys Peter watches over. She also meets the terrifying Detective Hook. With sinister secrets around every corner, Wendy has to learn who to trust if she’s going to survive the night. Sounds cool to me!

10. My Contrary Mary
Please excuse me while I inwardly scream. I absolutely loved The Lady Janies series by the same authors. I think they were incredible and the fact that My Contrary Mary follows one of my favorite historical figures (Mary, Queen of Scots, long may she Reign) and takes place in the same universe as My Lady Jane blows my mind and fills me with all kinds of excitement.

11. This Poison Heart
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayronn looks amazing. When I first saw the cover I was blown away instantly. Considering this is the same author that brought us Cinderella is Dead I thought this would be a twist of Snow White and Briar Rose. But it is not! Instead, it looks like something completely different and I love it. It has this air of mystery and fantasy to it, a mansion far from Brooklyn. It looks like it is going to be a spectacular novel.

12. The Queen Will Betray You
I am a huge fan of the Princess Bride and The Princess will Save You is super high on my to-read list. The Queen Will Betray You already looks amazing. From the title to the synopsis, I am so excited to see how his novel plays out that I’m probably going to get the box set so that I can read them back to back.

13. It Ends in Fire
The cover here looks so good. That is what caught my eye first, this girl dressed all in black with fire in her hands. Come on, you cannot tell me this is not a great cover. Now, this girl is bent on revenge, infiltrating Blackwater Academy, the most prestigious school of magic in the Republic, in order to bring the Wizards down from the inside. But vengeance always has a price. Magical schools and strong female characters? Sign me up please!

14. All These Warriors
I loved All These Monsters by Amy Tintera. You can see my review of it here. It was such a good novel about abuse and monsters, combining realism and science fiction together seamlessly. The synopsis tells some that these characters aren’t just going to be facing monsters on the outside, they are going to have to face their dark pasts. Each of these characters has some sort of baggage so I think this is going to make this novel as emotional and thoughtful as the first one.

15. Red Wolf
I think you all know by now that I am a sucker for fairy tale retellings. Sometimes I love them, sometimes I am bitterly disappointed. This one looks cool and reminds me a little of Ruby from Once Upon a Time. Adele is the wolf, and she protects her village from the monsters of the forest. They don’t know this, but her secret puts her at odds with her deepest desires. I loved Ruby in OUAT, she was such an underutilized character, and the fact that this novel is giving me Ruby vibes makes me very happy.

16. Eat Your Heart Out
This book just sounds so amazing. I am a huge fan of the zombie trope, love it, and I’m also a huge fan of fighting fatphobia. So the fact that this novel takes place at a “fat camp” (someone please tell me those no longer actually exist) and has these kids fighting off zombies, former kids who were also sent to these stupid camps, makes me energized. I am here and I am ready to read this is. Here’s a quick look at the book blip: “Shaun of the Dead meets Dumplin’ in this bitingly funny YA thriller about a kickass group of teens battling a ravenous group of zombies.”

17. Rising Like A Storm
I am actually really mad at myself for not reading the first novel of this series. Not only is the cover artwork sticking, but I love diverse literature. I love literature that explores legends and mythology, and other cultures’ interpretation of magic and fantasy. It gives me something new and something fresh to read which I appreciate. And this novel sounds amazing as it continues the journey of the previous novel and builds to a climactic ending.

18. Blood Like Magic
I tried so hard to grab an ARC of this novel because it is high on my to-read list, like high! So if anyone has an extra copy, please send it my way. I mean, just look at how it sounds: “A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love–she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.” Doesn’t that just sound amazing? I think it is. I love fantasy, I love witches, I love diversity. I am super excited for this book.

19. Curses
Yes! The princess is the beast! I have never read a fairy tale retelling like this, not one of Beauty and the Beast in any case. So for refusing to marry, Merit, our princess, must marry someone of her mother’s choosing or be a beast forever. Boy in question? Tevin, rich, pretty, and also a con artist. I am so excited by this novel, so excited!

20. These Hollow Vows
Okay, this novel is said to be “Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this sexy, action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes.” Have not read Cruel Prince but I have read ACOTAR and loved it. The cover is what drew me in, to begin with, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how this story is going to develop. Also, I love anything that has to do with the Seelie court ever since TMI. It looks like it is going to be a good novel.

21. Swallow
I like books that tackle bullying. In Swallow, Mildred uses magic to stop the bullying. But then she looses time, and her classmates are found brutally murdered. I think this novel is going to offer readers a contemporary and magical take on bullying and is going to address it in a meaningful manner. That is my hope at least.

22. Fresh
So I first heard about this novel from the Emerson Alumni Facebook group. It is written by Margot Wood who went to Emerson (like me!) and wrote a novel taking place in LB. I’m super excited about it. I love my college, some of my professors were amazing and when I lived on campus with my roommates it was fun! It wasn’t always perfect, but we’re all still friends and to see a novel take place at my college and see some of the experiences I went through brought to life in this contemporary form looks like it is going to be so much fun.

23. Heartless Heirs
So excited that Twin Daggers got a sequel. That novel was a steampunk/fantasy retelling of Romeo and Juliet and now we have the sequel. Heartless Heirs continues the themes of social injustice and genocide. I liked the first novel a lot, it wasn’t perfect but it was different and unique and captured my attention. And the magic in the novel comes off as fresh and unique as well. I’m excited to see how this story is going to play out.

24. Ashfall Legacy
Pittacus Lore has returned! I loved the Lorien Legacies series and own the Lorien Legacies Reborn series. Haven’t finished it but there for when I can get around to it. This looks like it is still invasion-lit, taking place in Roswell, New Mexico. It follows Syd who was born on Earth but his father is from the planet Denza. Years ago his father went missing and the mystery behind it may, literally, destroy everything.

25. Phantom Hearts
You know I have never seen The Phantom of the Opera but it is so popular I know the story. Isn’t that cool how society sometimes works. Anyway, this novel sounds so cool. It has a haunted house and looks like a love triangle between a real boy and a ghostly boy who lives in her dreams. Color me intrigued.

26. The Endless Skies
This is said to be perfect for fans of Adrienne Young and Wonder Woman. It follows “Rowan is about to become one of the famed Leonodai Warriors–the elite magical fighters who protect the floating city Heliana from the world of Men.” But then disaster strikes and of course our hero goes rogue and risks everything to save the city in the sky.

Well, there you have it, folks. I hope I gave you all something to look forward to this summer. Happy reading!