10 new SFF books that belong on your bookshelves this May

Kingsbane – Claire Legrand

The second installment in author Claire Legrand’s Empirium Triology continues the story begun in the bestselling Furyborn. Kingsbane picks up right where the first book in the series left off, following the stories of two queens whose lives are separated by thousands of years.

The two women are connected by a strange prophecy, which promises a foretold Blood Queen and Sun Queen, two avatars of salvation and destruction. The story has everything from forbidden love to possibly angelic beings, with a heaping dose of twists on top. One, which the series’ first novel tells you within its first 50 pages, is the kind of thing that will both break your heart and make you wonder how you’re supposed to wait to finish this trilogy. It’s that good.

The synopsis sounds every bit as exciting and emotional the first book in this trilogy was.

"Rielle Dardenne has been anointed Sun Queen, but her trials are far from over. The Gate keeping the angels at bay is falling. To repair it, Rielle must collect the seven hidden castings of the saints. Meanwhile, to help her prince and love Audric protect Celdaria, Rielle must spy on the angel Corien—but his promises of freedom and power may prove too tempting to resist. Centuries later, Eliana Ferracora grapples with her new reality: She is the Sun Queen, humanity’s long-awaited savior. But fear of corruption—fear of becoming another Rielle—keeps Eliana’s power dangerous and unpredictable. Hunted by all, racing against time to save her dying friend Navi, Eliana must decide how to wear a crown she never wanted—by embracing her mother’s power, or rejecting it forever. Separated by a thousand years, connected by secrets and lies, Rielle and Eliana’s fight continues amid deadly plots and unthinkable betrayals that will test their strength—and their hearts."

Kingsbane will be released on May 21.

The Kingdom – Jess Rothenberg

Jess Rothenberg’s The Kingdom is described as a mix of Westworld and Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series, and honestly that combination will get pretty much any book an automatic space in my TBR pile.

In “The Kingdom,” an immersive fantasy theme park, you’re guaranteed to get your happily ever after. This is thanks to the “Fantasists,” a group of “princesses” specifically engineered for the park. (Think Dolores Abernathy, but with a more Cinderella look and feel.)

Basically: If you’ve ever wanted to read a dystopian Disneyland adventure, this is the book for you.

Ana, a Fantasist, is accused of murdering a park employee and her trial brings up many uncomfortable questions about truth, emotion and where the line is that makes us human.

The synopsis for the novel offers a bit more detail:

"Welcome to the Kingdom, a dazzling fantasy theme park where ‘happily ever after’ is not just a promise, but a rule . . . The Kingdom is a place where technology helps dreams come to life. Formerly extinct species roam the park, and seven beautiful ‘Fantasists’ – half-human, half-android princesses – entertain visitors and make wishes come true. But this fairytale ends in murder, and now Ana, one of the seven Fantasists, is in the dock after finding herself experiencing emotions and romantic feelings against all her programming . . . Told through court testimony, interrogation records and fragmented flashbacks, The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg has the futuristic appeal of Westworld and the twists and turns of a true-crime thriller."

So…creepy and kind of heartbreaking all at once? Sounds great.

The Kingdom will be released on May 28.

What are you planning to read this May?