Most Anticipated Books is a monthly series in which I discuss the releases I’m most excited for in the coming month. In August, there are four books coming out that I’m excited to read. I’m also going to briefly discuss another upcoming release I read the ARC for.
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Summary: Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying— from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total.
On this Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now she has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. She works— and shamelessly flirts— with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security.
But trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined— and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world, but the entire multiverse.
Release Date: August 4
My Impression: I found out about this book on a list of upcoming SFF books featuring a F/F romance. The multiverse concept sounds so cool, I knew I had to add it to my TBR.
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Summary: Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath— but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor’s Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
Release Date: August 4
My Impression: I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book from the publisher earlier this year. I enjoyed it, but not as much as Gideon the Ninth. I gave it 4 stars. Full review here!
The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Summary: Lee’s best friend went missing on Bodmin Moor, four years ago. She and Mal were chasing rumors of monsters when they found something all too real. Now Mal is back, but where has she been, and who is she working for?
When government physicist Kay Amal Khan is attacked, the security services investigate. This leads MI5’s Julian Sabreur deep into terrifying new territory, where he clashes with mysterious agents of an unknown power— who may or may not be human. And Julian’s only clue is some grainy footage— showing a woman who supposedly died on Bodmin Moor.
Khan’s extradimensional research was purely theoretical, until she found cracks between our world and countless others. Parallel Earths where monsters live. These cracks are getting wider every day, so who knows what might creep through? Or what will happen when those walls finally come crashing down…
Release Date: August 20
My Impression: Parallel Earths with monsters? Cryptid footage? A creepy mystery? Sign me up!
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
Summary: In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.
As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.
The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost
The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told
The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide
Release Date: August 25
My Impression: I’ve heard nothing but fantastic things about this book from those who got ARCs. Plus, I’m always a sucker for a magic competition.
Spindrift by Anna Burke
Summary: Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it.
Morgan Donovan had everything she ever wanted: a dream job as a large animal veterinarian, awesome friends, and a loving and supportive fiancée. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancée dumps her after realizing that Morgan’s job will always come first. And, while Morgan still has the job and friends, her heart is broken into a million tiny pieces.
Emilia Russo is a burned-out shelter vet. When the unexpected death of her father triggers a mental breakdown that hastens the end of her relationship, she retreats to his house in Seal Cove, Maine. She plans on spending the summer renovating it while she figures out how to pull the pieces of her life back together. But when she runs into Morgan at the dock where her father’s sailboat is moored, her plans for a quiet summer of healing and reflection sink like a stone— the attraction is immediate and obvious, and Emilia finds herself slipping seamlessly into Morgan’s world.
Each woman knows this fling will end when Emilia returns to Boston at the end of the summer, but they’re unprepared for the intensity and depth of their attraction. And, as the gales of fall begin to drive leaves like spindrift upon Seal Cove, Morgan and Emilia must each come to terms with how much they’re willing to give up to stay together.
Release Date: Sometime in August (Amazon has it listed as September 29)
My Impression: Though this isn’t usually the sort of romance I like (at least I think— I’m still a newbie, after all), I’m especially intrigued by the angst of a relationship with an expiration date. I think I could really like this one.
What August releases are you excited for? Let me know in the comments!
Strange Storyteller 
I can’t wait for Where dreams descend!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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