Check out these amazing YA and adult May 2022 fantasy book releases.
Can you believe we are officially in the second quarter of the year? This means that we will be continuing with our list of hyped 2022 fantasy book releases. May is a month with quite a few amazing sounding ya fantasy and adult fantasy books set to release. There are some really cool-sounding new series, standalone fantasy books, and some super hyped sequels that you won’t want to miss.
Anticipated May 2022 Fantasy Book Releases
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If you don’t see a May 2022 fantasy book release on this list that you are hyped for, make sure you let me know in the comments so I can check that out too!
The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna
The first book follows a teenage girl as she finds out, via ritualistic bleeding, that she is more than human. In this world that means death. Before she can be killed though, she is taken off to be trained as a member of a group of elite “non-human” female warriors.
As she trains, makes friends, and discovers more about the world and her power, we really get to dive into a really interesting story. Things in this world aren’t always what they seem! We also get a lot of really nice friendships and themes of sisterhood with a very small romance. Honestly, I liked that we didn’t really get much romance in this book, but I do expect to see a little more of the romance aspect in book two.
If you haven’t yet, you can see if you want to read book 1 by checking out my full Gilded Ones spoiler-free review on YouTube.
Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater
This book takes place several years after the events of the Brave movie. In this, she has one year to save everything she loves.
Merida goes through a series of epic journeys. She has to travel to faraway kingdoms under the watchful eyes of the gods in order to inspire a revolution.
Disney-inspired books don’t always work for me. Many of the times they are very hit or miss. I am excited to see what this one adds to the original story though.
You can pick this book up on May 3rd!
Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire
We are following different characters with different purposes in the same world. Our main characters are not twins in this one (that I can tell), and it looks like we may get a bit of romance as well.
Melanie is a dying girl with a destiny. Harry doesn’t believe in destiny. They are given a chance to walk a road of untold dangers in order to achieve a potential future together.
I am sure that this will be just as weird and gripping as book one, and I have a feeling that this may be the “winter & summer” personifications.
You can pick up Seasonal Fears on May 3rd.
Elektra: A Novel of the House of Atreus by Jennifer Saint
The house of Atreus is cursed. A cycle of violence and vengeance follows them. This book is a story about three women and how their fates are tied to the curse.
We are set in ancient Greece and follow Elektra, the youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. One of our other main characters is Clytemnestra herself. Then we also follow Cassandra, the Princess of Troy.
If you want to check this historical retelling out, you can pick it up on May 3rd.
All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay
All the Seas of the World follows two people sent on an assassination mission. The mission needs to happen in order to alter the balance of powers in this world.
One of these two people is a woman who was abducted as a child and sold into servitude. As an escapee, she is determined to forge her own path of revenge. The other assassin is a merchant who remembers being a child in exile due to factors outside of their control.
This seems like it will be a fast-paced dramatic novel! If you want to pick it up, it comes out on May 17th.
The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero
The Ghosts of Rose Hill is a fantasy book set in Prague. We follow Ilana, a biracial Jewish girl, and violinist. She discovers a forgotten graveyard, and there meets a ghost boy who is for some reason tied to the city and cant pass on.
A man with no shadow takes interest in Ilana and offers to share his magic with her. But things aren’t always what they seem.
This seems like it will be a magical book with a good dose of romance!
You can pick it up on May 3rd!
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
We follow Luli Wei, a Chinese-American aspiring starlet. She refuses to play maids and fainting flowers. She wants more than Hollywood tends to offer Chinese actors at this time. But she will figure out how to get everything she wants.
As we see her climb the ranks of Hollywood elites, we learn of the darker side of the glitz. The studios are viler than anyone could imagine. Bargains are made in blood using ancient magic.
This sounds like a fun historical fantasy standalone. Nghi Vo is a fantastic writer, and this book is guaranteed to be a hit.
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
I don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for desert fantasy. This book has everything I want. Magic, royalty, an epic quest, and even some romance.
I can’t wait for this one to come out. Likely, this is going to be a big hit for May 2022 fantasy book releases.
City of Orange by David Yoon
He now has to learn to navigate his new situation. Foraging for food and searching for water. Then one day he meets a boy. This boy tears down the walls of his memories, making our main character realize that nothing, neither past nor present, is what it seems to be.
City of Orange is said to be a character-driven novel with a harrowing and heartfelt story.
If all of this sounds interesting to you, the book comes out on May 24th.
Book of Night by Holly Black
Though I personally wasn’t a fan of The Cruel Prince, I am still excited for Book of Night. The big difference that I can see is that this new adult book isn’t focused on the fae. Quite a divergence from her YA work, this foray into adult fantasy may be the one that has me finally enjoying a Holly Black Book.
Book of Night is a modern dark fantasy. Following shadowy thieves and secret societies. It is being compared to Ninth House and the Night Circus. Now, I love both of the comp books, so this really does have me extremely excited.
If you are looking forward to picking this one up, you can get it on May 3rd!
The Collarbound by Rebecca Zahabi
If you are looking for a new adult fantasy book that doesn’t seem to be getting much hype, you may want to check out The Collarbound.
Coming out on May 12th, this book is being compared to The Poppy War for its magical brink-of-war setting as well as A Darker Shade of Magic for its lyrical character-driven writing style. Both of those comps have me super interested.
We follow characters during a brewing rebellion in a dark and violent world. Isha is a refugee trying to fit in amongst the other mages. Tatters is a slave and former rebel who is now owned by the rebels he once fought with.
The Collarbound follows an unlikely friendship between a man trying to escape his past and a woman trying to uncover hers until their secrets threaten to tear them apart.
Circus of Shadows by Kimberlee Turley
If you need a little more information about this book though: We follow a seventeen-year-old girl named Grace. She gets caught hitching a free ride on a circus train, and when she is caught she is actually offered a job in the circus. This job has he assisting magician and knife thrower, Jack.
When she starts performing though, she begins finding threatening notes hidden in her costume. Plagued by reoccurring déjà vu, cryptic notes, and suspicions that Jack may not be who he seems to be, Gracie is swept into supernatural secrets surrounding Vincenzio’s Circus Troupe & Menagerie.
If that sounds like something you want to read, this book comes out on May 7th!
Hopefully, you found a few books on this list to add to your own TBR! Let me know what books you are most excited to check out when they release!
Book lover, coffee addict, mom of dragons (aka rambunctious kids). I share book recs, mom life survival tips, and the occasional existential crisis.
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