Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books of the Second Half of 2024

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun.

This week is all about the books coming out July-December that I am really looking forwards to getting my hands on (and hopefully reading quickly!) As ever, all release dates are for the UK so might vary compared to other countries.

There are a few titles coming out that I’ve been luck enough to read early and highly recommend:

• SOME LIKE IT COLD, by Elle McNicoll
• BLACK TIDE SON, by H. M. Long

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10. THE TAPESTRY OF TIME, by Kate Heartfield

Genre:  Historical Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Series: Standalone
Release date: 26th September

THE TAPESTRY OF TIME is Kate Heartfield’s next book. I’ve loved her work since THE EMBROIDERED BOOK, which married real historical events with magic.

This next book is set during World War Two and an archivist from a family with the second sight who is trying to protect the Bayeux Tapestry from the Nazis thanks to a belief that the tapestry is magic and could help them invade Britain. Meanwhile, her sister is involved in a deadly mission across France and needs her sight in order to survive.

9. THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAIRY DOOR, by H. G. Parry

Genre:  Historical Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Series: standalone
Release date: 24th October

Staying in historical fantasy, THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAERIE DOOR is the latest offering from H. G. Parry. H. G. Parry is an author whose work I’ve loved since A DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAGICIANS, another novel that takes real events and adds magic, though recent books have used the setting more than the events.

This novel follows a non-magical commoner in 1920s England seeking admittance to a magical academy in order to find a cure for her brother, a victim of a faerie attack during the Great War. Catching the eye of an elite member might be her ticket in, but comes with its own risks.

8. TERROR TOWER, by Jennifer Killick

Genre:  Horror
Age Range: MG
Series: Final book
Release date: 26th September

Jumping from adult historical fantasy into Middle Grade horror, TERROR TOWER is the finale to Jennifer Killick’s incredible DREAD WOOD series. I am an absolute scaredy cat so this series’ combination of scares and humour is just right for me to read without putting the book down.

Angelo and his school friend have come a long way from their first detention when the evil Latchitts unleashed mutant animals controlled by nursery rhymes on them. Now it’s time to end their campaign of terror once and for all.

7. THE ENDING FIRE, by Saara El-Arifi

Genre:  Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Series: final book of trilogy
Release date: 12th September

Back to adult fantasy with the finale to Saara El-Arifi’s series of the same name, THE ENDING FIRE is an epic fantasy in a world ruled by blood – and a lot more secrets than any of the characters could have believed back in THE FINAL STRIFE.

I want to know how it ends – and how any of my favourite characters are going to survive the battle that is doubtless coming in this book. It’s a bloody and brutal series full of deeply flawed characters who you just want to survive – and destroy a few empires along the way.

6. THE LOTUS EMPIRE, by Tasha Suri

Genre:  Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Series: finale book in trilogy
Release date:  14th November

The finale to The Burning Kingdoms trilogy that began with THE JASMINE THRONE, this is another finale where my main hope is that my favourites are going to survive the incredibly brutal world (and plot!) Tasha Suri has created.

It feels like Malini has got what she wanted, which means she and Priya are probably going to be catapulted into direct conflict with each other over the future of their homes. And then there’s the dangerous magic of the land itself to be wrestled with, all while the men of court have their own opinions.

5. NETTLE, by Bex Hogan

Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Young Adult
Series: standalone
Release date: 10th October

I have very much been enjoying Bex Hogan’s MG series, BRONTE TEMPESTRA, but I am so excited to see her return to YA with this fairy tale-esque story full of dark forests, dangerous bargains, and alluring faeries.

Nettle is an outsider to the human world, continually called and fascinated by the faery realm. But falling under the spell of one of its denizens is always dangerous, even if making a pact with their king might save her grandmother in exchange for three deadly tasks.

4. A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME, by Mary McMyne

Genre:  Historical Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Series: Standalone
Release date: 18th July

Back to adult historical fantasy for the next item on this list, a novel set in Elizabethan England about the “dark lady” of Shakespeare’s sonnets that brings in astrology and alchemy, two forbidden matters.

I like Shakespeare’s plays and grew up in “Shakespeare’s London” so I am very interested in how Mary McMyne takes on this subject matter. I enjoyed the author’s debut, a Rapunzel retelling – THE BOOK OF GOTHEL – focused on the “evil stepmother” and have high hopes for this second novel.

3. THE LAST HOUR BETWEEN WORDS, by Melissa Caruso

Genre:  Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Series: first book in trilogy
Release date: 21st November

But wasn’t this on the part one list? Yes, and within days of me writing that list, THE LAST HOUR BETWEEN WORLDS was pushed back more than six months to the second half of the year. Apparently for exciting reasons, so that’s intriguing. Thus it is appearing on this list too.

I’ve loved Melissa Caruso’s books since THE TETHERED MAGE, and this, her seventh book, is her first in a new world. It follows a mother forced to team up with her arch enemy on a world-jumping mission.

2. WHERE THE LIBRARY HIDES, by Isabel Ibañez

Genre:  Historical Fantasy
Age Range: Young Adult
Series: Second book of duology
Release date: 5th November

The sequel to Isabel Ibañez’ hit novel, WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS, WHERE THE LIBRARY HIDES is another historical fantasy novel, but this time it’s a YA title.

Set in late 19th century Egypt, at the height of Egypt-mania, Inez sought out the secret her parents left behind after their deaths, tangling with her uncle and his too-handsome assistant – who have secrets of their own. But with some of their hidden information revealed, and shaking her world, Inez must find out the last pieces of truth, no matter the cost.

1. LADY MACBETH, by Ava Reid

Genre: Historical Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Series: standalone
Release date: 13th August

Finishing this list very much in the vein of the other entries, with another historical fantasy. I love Ava Reid’s novels (and am very excited for two from her next year! But that’s looking well beyond the scope for this list) so this latest novel shot right to the top of the list when it was announced.

As the title suggests, this is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth from his wife’s perspective, the dark and complicated character who is often blamed for all the death in the play.

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What books are you looking forward to?