12 must-read science fiction and fantasy book releases for a magical July
By Lacy Baugher
July 2021 release: What We Devour – Linsey Miller
The latest novel from the author of Belle Revolte is a standalone fantasy described as Beauty and the Beast meets Wicked Saints. In short, sign me up right the heck now.
What We Devour is a dark and intricate story of a girl who must tether herself to a violent ruler to save her crumbling world. Because Lorena Adler has a secret—she holds the power of both her people’s banished gods, the Noble and the Vile, inside her. And she has spent her entire life hiding from the world and her past as a result.
Featuring a magic system fueled by sacrifice, thorny moral questions about capitalism and duty, and a bleak, often hopeless-seeming setting, this strange but fascinating novel is definitely for you.
The official synopsis describes the story in more detail.
"Undertaker Lorena knows what her future holds—she’ll finish her apprenticeship, marry her best friend Julian, and live in a land ruled by a bloodthirsty family convinced they alone can keep ancient demons from descending on the kingdom. But when Julian receives news that his father has been convicted of crimes against the crown, the two head to the capital to help. When Lorena is kidnapped by Crown Prince Alistair, she learns he’s not the violent inheritor rumors have painted him to be. He explains that the sacrifices are a necessary evil—the demons are very real and require more and more blood to keep them at bay. As a rebellion grows more certain, Lorena becomes less sure of her loyalties. Should she trust the boy she thought she loved and the world she thought she knew? Or should her loyalties lie with the centuries-old legends of the boy she barely knows who has everything to lose?"
What We Devour is available on July 6.