Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2023

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

My first Top Ten Tuesday since May, 2022! It feels weird to be back in the book blogging world, mostly because I’ve been on Instagram wayyy too much.

Instead of creating a ridiculously long list of new releases, I’m only going to talk about my top ten most anticipated releases for the first half of 2023, and I’m going to try to talk about the new releases that I don’t have ARCs of (yet).

There are a couple of books (Godkiller, The Fiancée Farce) that would have been on the list, but are not because of the Harper Strike.

Bring on the books! (the blurbs, as aways, are from Goodreads).

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis (Jan 31, Dial)

The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in a changing United States, their fortune made through the entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Now it’s 1910, and the Davenports live surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, finding their way and finding love—even where they’re not supposed to.

Okay, that cover is just phenomenal. So bright, so pretty, with the expectation of so much intrigue and drama! I’ve been moving away from YA in the past year, but this book might be the one that brings me back—or it might seal my decision to stay in the adult speculative fiction realm. Who’s to say? I suppose only time will tell. I’m going to listen to this on audiobook whenever my library gets it.

Weyward by Emilia Hart (February 2, St Martin’s)

Three women. Five centuries. One secret. In 2019, Kate flees an abusive relationship in London for Crows Beck, a remote Cumbrian village. Her destination is Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great Aunt Violet, an eccentric entomologist. As Kate struggles with the trauma of her past, she uncovers a secret about the women in her family. A secret dating back to 1619, when her ancestor Altha Weyward was put on trial for witchcraft…

Another book where my enjoyment is going to be hit or miss. Dual (or in this case, possibly triple) timelines are always a gamble for me, particularly when dealing with magic. But the cover is stunning and I am intrigued as hell, so this is already on hold at my library.

The Faithless by CL Clark (March 7, Orbit)

The rebels have won, and the empire is withdrawing from Qazal. But undoing the tangled web that binds the two nations will not be easy, and Touraine and Luca will face their greatest challenge yet. Luca needs to oust her uncle from the Balladairan throne once and for all and take her rightful place as Queen. Touraine has found a home in the newly free country of Qazal. Together, the two women will have to come overcome their enemies, their history, and their heartbreak in order to find a way to secure Luca’s power and Touraine’s freedom.

Okay, this is the one ARC I currently have, and it’s on my January TBR. BUT it’s here because I haven’t read it yet and because I need to know what has happened since book 1. Btw, this is book 2 in a trilogy. And after That Cover of The Unbroken, I’m so glad that this is the follow-up cover. Look at that sprawl!

The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland (March 7, Flatiron)

Collette LeSange is a lonely artist who heads an elite fine arts school for children in upstate New York. Her youthful beauty masks the dark truth of her life: she has endured centuries of turmoil and heartache in the wake of her grandfather’s long-ago decision to make her immortal like himself. Now in 1984, Collette finds her life upended by the arrival of a gifted child from a troubled home, the return of a stalking presence from her past, and her own mysteriously growing hunger.

I’ve been burned by ageless immortal artist type stories before, but what can I say. Bring on the pain.

The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart (April 20, Orbit)

Lin Sukai has won her first victory as Emperor, but the future of the Phoenix Empire hangs in the balance – and Lin is dangerously short of allies. As her own governors plot treason, the Shardless Few renew hostilities. Worse still, Lin discovers her old nemesis Nisong has joined forces with the rogue Alanga, Ragan. Both seek her death. Yet hopes lies in history. Legend tells of seven mythic swords, forged in centuries past. If Lin can find them before her enemies, she may yet be able to turn the tide.

Book 3 of the Drowning Empire Trilogy. I need to know about [redacted]!!! Luckily, I have the ARC (THANK YOU ORBIT!!!) so my answers will be revealed in February!

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by EM Anderson (April 21, Hansen House)

When you’re a geriatric armed with nothing but gumption and knitting needles, stopping a sorcerer from wiping out an entire dragon-fighting organization is a tall order. No one understands why 83-year-old Edna Fisher is the Chosen One, destined to save the Knights from a dragon-riding sorcerer bent on their destruction. After all, Edna has never handled a magical weapon, faced down a dragon, or cast a spell. And everyone knows the Council of Wizards always chooses a teenager—like the vengeful girl ready to snatch Edna’s destiny from under her nose. Still, Edna leaps at the chance to leave the nursing home. With her son long dead in the Knights’ service, she’s determined to save dragon-fighters like him and to ensure other mothers don’t suffer the same loss she did. But as Edna learns about the abuse in the ranks and the sorcerer’s history as a Knight, she questions if it’s really the sorcerer that needs stopping—or the Knights she’s trying to save.

Geriatric heroes and epic fantasy? Sign me up! Hansen House is a queer indie press, so it looks like this one is goign to be an ebook purchase. So excited!

Happy Place by Emily Henry (April 25, Berkley)

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t. They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends. Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Because of course Berkley rejected my request for an ARC (my white whale of egalleys *shakes fist at sky*). I loved Book Lovers, and really loved the other two books she’s written, and this looks just delightful, so of course I’m going to read it. It’s going to be a library audiobook listen.

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz (May 9, Little, Brown Books)

Lady Camembert wants to live life on her own terms, without marriage. Well, without marrying a man, that is. But the law of the land is that women cannot inherit. So when her father passes away, she does the only thing she can: She disguises herself as a man and moves to the capital city of the Kingdom of Fromage to start over as Count Camembert. But it’s hard to keep a low profile when the beautiful Princess Brie, with her fierce activism and great sense of fashion, catches her attention. Camembert can’t resist getting to know the princess, but as the two grow closer, will she able to keep her secret?

I have had this graphic novel on my Goodreads tbr since June 2020, because check out that title. Check out that synopsis. I’m dying for a bite.

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi (May 23, Del Ray)

Anoor is the first blue-blooded ruler of the Wardens’ Empire. But when she is accused of a murder she didn’t commit, her reign is thrown into turmoil. She must solve the mystery and clear her name without the support of her beloved, Sylah. Sylah braves new lands to find a solution for the hurricane that threatens to destroy her home. But in finding answers, she must make a decision, does she sacrifice her old life in order to raise up her sword once more? Hassa’s web of secrets grows ever thicker as she finds herself on a trail of crimes in the city. Her searching uncovers the extent of the atrocities of the empire’s past and present. Now, she must guard both her heart and her land. The three women find their answers, but they’re not the answers they wanted. The drumbeat of change thrums throughout the world. And it sings a song of war.

Book 2 in the Ending Fire Trilogy. The Final Strife was one of my favorite fantasy reads of 2022, and I have high, high hopes for this one, although I’m super terrified about what is going to happen to everyone.

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon (June 20, Berkley)

Chandler Cohen has never felt more like the ghost in “ghostwriter” until she attends a signing for a book she wrote—and the author doesn’t even recognize her. The evening turns more promising when she meets a charming man at the bar and immediately connects with him. But when all their sexual tension culminates in a spectacularly awkward hookup, she decides this is one night better off forgotten. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Her next project is ghostwriting a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor best known for playing a lovable nerd on a cult classic werewolf show who now makes a living appearing at fan conventions across the country. But Chandler knows him better from their one-night stand of hilarious mishaps.

I’ve read several of Solomon’s books, and, like Talia Hibbert and Emily Henry, she’s an auto-read in contemporary romance for me. I can’t wait. Another library audiobook listen.