It may be a little late, but here are all my most anticipated January 2023 fantasy book releases.
If you are looking for magical January book releases, look no further. We have all the exciting sci-fi and fantasy books coming out in January 2023. Scroll this list and check out some thrilling new series, highly anticipated sequels, and even a few fun standalone books.
So make some room on your TBR for these new releases, and check back every month for even more new sci-fi and fantasy book releases.
January 2023 Anticipated Book Releases
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Traditionally Published Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Releases
Here are all the adult and YA traditionally published books coming out in January 2023.
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation’s past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart—an epic fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.
This book is out now, and based on early reviews, it is quite the hit. I haven’t spoken to anyone who has read it that hasn’t loved it. And I believe, It will be in an upcoming fantasy book box!
Hell Bent
With a cover this creepy, we can’t wait to see what this sequel holds.
Waking Fire
This is the story of a girl who will stop at nothing to save her village after it is discovered by a dangerous warlord and his army of undead monsters.
With a beautiful cover and excellent premise, this will surely be a massive hit in the fantasy book world.
Lost in the Moment and Found
This series revolves around interconnected stories of children who have discovered doorways to other worlds but have returned to the real world for one reason or another.
The series is highly beloved, and this entry is sure to be just as whimsical and magical as all the others.
The Daughters of Izdihar
This is a new duology, set wholly in a new world but inspired by modern Egyptian history, about two young women—Nehal, a spoiled aristocrat used to getting what she wants, and Giorgina, a poor bookshop worker used to having nothing—who find they have far more in common, particularly in their struggle for the rights of women and their ability to fight for it with forbidden elemental magic.
The synopsis alone gives me the best vibes of the City of Brass and Stardust Thief. I am very excited to read this one and will pick it up as soon as possible.
City of Nightmares
The synopsis of this book reads as such: “Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer in this thrilling young adult fantasy about a cowardly girl who finds herself at the center of a criminal syndicate conspiracy, in a city where crooked politicians and sinister cults reign and dreaming means waking up as your worst nightmare.”
Two fantastic franchises smashed together with dream magic? Sign me up! I got a NetGalley Arc for this book but never had a chance to get to it, but that will be changing very soon!
Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame
According to the synopsis, you can expect: “A girl hellbent on finding the friend she lost. A planet on the brink of destruction. Only one way to find answers amidst the chaos: team up with a traitor to stage a revolution.”
This book will have a fantastic female protagonist, and I am a sucker for a strong female lead.
Queen Among the Dead
This is a Celtic-inspired YA fantasy adventure. It is set in the ancient kingdom of Eire and inspired by the first true Queen of Ireland.
I have not read much Irish-inspired fantasy, but I am excited to change that.
The Keeper’s Six
Look, when the synopsis says “badass mom,” that is all it takes to have me making a preorder.
The full synopsis reads, “You never stop worrying about your kids, even when they’re adults. Kate Elliott’s action-packed The Keeper’s Six features a world-hopping, bad-ass, spell-slinging mother who sets out to rescue her kidnapped adult son from a dragon lord with everything to lose.”
This one is right up my alley, and I can’t wait for it to come out.
Spice Road
This is an epic Arabian-inspired fantasy that features secret spice magic. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, sixteen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother, whose betrayal is now the country’s greatest threat.
Spice Road sounds like it will be a unique fantasy world perfect for fans of City of Brass.
Blood Circus
Inspired by the author’s experiences with a traveling circus, this book is a lush and terrifying debut — perfect for readers of The Hunger Games and Children of Blood and Bone. Blood Circus creates a future where cruelty and spectacle hold the keys to subjugating humans on a ravaged earth.
Honestly, tell me there is a circus in a fantasy setting, and I am all in!
Self-Published Fantasy Book Releases January 2023
Not every book coming out is traditionally published. There are a lot of excellent self-published fantasy books coming out in January, and they need more love and hype. Without a vast publishing team behind them, these authors need all the momentum they can get. Hopefully, this post will help you discover some new epic self-published fantasy books this month.
Embers Rising
Not only does this self-published fantasy release have a stunning cover, but it also has a catchy hook: “They expected their heist to yield coin, not conspiracies. The former mercenaries find a deadly plot that could destroy their country.”
This book is pitched for fans of Scott Lynch’s Lies of Locke Lamora and Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold; it is a cloak-and-dagger epic fantasy with an ensemble cast that would make any rogue proud.
The Bookshop and the Barbarian
The hook to this book is “Explore its many rooms, pick something nice off the shelf, and have a little read by the fire at the Cozy Quill Bookshop.” We follow Maribella, who, while on the run from strife in her homeland, becomes the owner of the Cozy Quill bookshop. Here, she employs a giant barbarian woman names Asteria, who is more used to swinging an aze than reading a book.
The Bookshop and the Barbarian is a low-stakes, comedic, and cozy fantasy with a slice-of-life, sapphic romance. It celebrates books, autumn and winter, community, friendship, and unexpected love.
The Briar Crown
When a young woman named Roslyn, a lower-class orphan, inadvertently saves the prince, her life is turned upside down. Rosalyn is a lower-class member, forbidden from practicing magic and living amongst those who conquered her land. Now she finds herself dragged from the only life she has ever known and made to oversee the healing of the prince.
With the royal family within her grasp, all she has to do to free her people is kill them… but can she do it, or will something more powerful than revenge heal the wounds of the past?
This sounds like an enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance that will surely be a hit in the online cook world.
No Heart for a Thief
The Thief, a great spirit, and her descendants have abused their ability to steal magic for centuries. When Kaylo starts to hear the song of other people’s magic, he must learn to hide from his people and the invaders. Either a gift or a curse, Kaylo may be able to save his people from the Gousht Empire that claimed their land with this stolen magic.
Eighteen years later, Kaylo still prays to the spirits, but not out of loyalty or love. He knows better than to rely on those selfish bastards for anything. While hiding in the forest from his foolish acts of rebellion, he encounters a girl, Tayen, being pursued by two empire soldiers. Against his better judgment, he risks facing the consequences of his past to intervene.
When Tayen attempts to run off seeking vengeance for her family, he offers to train her to wield her magic and a blade. If he can’t convince her to relinquish her need for revenge and stave off the demons of his past, he will get them both killed.
The Trials of Ildarwood: Fall of the Forsaken
When Evalina Verdani was born holding an emerald stone, her family knew she would one day become a child of storms: powerful, brilliant, and utterly impossible to control. And that was precisely why they locked her away inside a place like Caelum’s Keep.
Across the city, twelve-year-old Tevaun Osei was trapped at home, not because his soul was aligned toward darkness but because his parents feared he was far too fragile to survive in the dangerous world outside their door.
Both dreamed of escaping into the Ildarwood, where almost anything they imagined could be made real. They had no way of knowing what incredible dangers would await if their dreams one day came true…
Hopefully, this post helped you find some exciting books in January. Let me know which one you are excited about, and check back often for even more fantasy book releases.
Book lover, coffee addict, mom of dragons (aka rambunctious kids). I share book recs, mom life survival tips, and the occasional existential crisis.
[…] is by no means all of the January 2022 fantasy book releases. But is a good start to the New Year with new books! Let me know which […]