Books releasing in May 2021

May 2021 is looking to be an awesome month for releases! I’ve put together a list of 10 books you can look forward to. A few have links to purchase signed copies from Goldsboro Books.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Project Hail MaryProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Published by: Del Rey on May 4, 2021
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 496
Source: Purchased
Buy from Goldsboro BooksBook Details

A lone astronaut.
An impossible mission.
An ally he never imagined.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery-and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could imagine it, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.


Realm Breaker (Realm Breaker #1) by Victoria Aveyard

Realm BreakerRealm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
Series: Realm Breaker #1
Published by: Orion Books on May 4, 2021
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Pages: 576
Buy from Goldsboro BooksBook Details

SAVE THE WORLD OR END IT...

A strange darkness is growing in the Ward. Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.

Fate knocks on her door, in the form of a mythical immortal and a lethal assassin, who tell Corayne that she is the last of an ancient lineage—with the power to save the world from destruction.

Because a man who would burn kingdoms to the ground is raising an army unlike any seen before, bent on uprooting the foundations of the world. With poison in his heart and a stolen sword in his hand, he'll break the realm itself to claim it. And only Corayne can stop him.

Alongside an unlikely group of reluctant allies, Corayne finds herself on a desperate journey to complete an impossible task, with untold magic singing in her blood and the fate of the world on her shoulders.


The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #1) by John Gwynne

The Shadow of the GodsThe Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
Series: The Bloodsworn Saga #1
Published by: Orbit on May 6, 2021
Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Mythology
Pages: 496
Source: Purchased
Book Details

Set in a brand-new, Norse-inspired world, and packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance, The Shadow of the Gods begins an epic new fantasy saga from bestselling author John Gwynne.

After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrid.

Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out.

Now, as whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame, and a thrall who seeks vengeance among the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods . . .


A Master of Djinn (Fatma el-Sha’arawi, #1) by P. Djèlí Clark

A Master of DjinnA Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Series: Fatma el-Sha’arawi #1
Published by: Tor Books on May 11, 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 400
Book Details

Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of Djinn

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world fifty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and a mysterious person from her past, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…


Son of the Storm (The Nameless Republic, #1) by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Son of the StormSon of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Series: The Nameless Republic #1
Published by: Orbit on May 13, 2021
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 480
Book Details

Award-winning author Suyi Davies Okungbowa begins a thrilling new epic fantasy series of violent conquest, buried histories and forbidden magic.

In the city of Bassa, Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness-only he doesn't want it. Instead, he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls. The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest. The city's immigrants are sworn to secrecy.

But when Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn't exist, he's put on a collision course with Bassa's darkest secrets. Drawn into the city's hidden history, he sets out on a journey beyond its borders. But the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire.

Son of the Storm is the Goldsboro GSFF pick for June!


The House of Always (Chorus of Dragons, #4) by Jenn Lyons

The House of AlwaysThe House of Always by Jenn Lyons
Series: A Chorus of Dragons #4
Published by: Tor Books on May 13, 2021
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 544
Book Details

What if you were imprisoned for all eternity?

In the aftermath of the Ritual of Night, everything has changed.

The Eight Immortals have catastrophically failed to stop Kihrin's enemies, who are moving forward with their plans to free Vol Karoth, the King of Demons. Kihrin has his own ideas about how to fight back, but even if he's willing to sacrifice everything for victory, the cost may prove too high for his allies.

Now they face a choice: can they save the world while saving Kihrin too? Or will they be forced to watch as he becomes the very evil they had all sworn to destroy?


A Touch of Malice (Hades & Persephone, #3) by Scarlett St. Clair

A Touch of MaliceA Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair
Series: Hades & Persephone #3
Published by: Self Published on May 25, 2021
Genre: Mythology, Romance
Source: Purchased
Book Details

Persephone and Hades are engaged. In retaliation, Demeter summons a snowstorm that cripples New Greece, and refuses to lift the blizzard unless her daughter calls off her engagement.

When the Olympians intervene, Persephone finds her future in the hands of ancient gods, and they are divided. Do they allow Persephone to marry Hades and go to war with Demeter or prohibit their union and take up arms against the God of the Dead?

Nothing is certain but the promise of war.


The Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue, #1) by Christopher Buehlman

The Blacktongue ThiefThe Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman
Series: Blacktongue #1
Published by: Gollancz on May 27, 2021
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Pages: 416
Source: Purchased
Book Details

Set in a world of goblin wars, stag-sized battle ravens, and assassins who kill with deadly tattoos, Christopher Buehlman's The Blacktongue Thief begins a 'dazzling' (Robin Hobb) fantasy adventure unlike any other.

Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path.

But today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.

Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants.

Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva's. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.


Priest of Gallows (War for the Rose Throne, #3) by Peter McLean

Priest of GallowsPriest of Gallows by Peter McLean
Series: War for the Rose Throne #3
Published by: Jo Fletcher Books on May 27, 2021
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 384
Source: Purchased
Book Details

Gangster, soldier, priest. Queen's Man. Governor.

Tomas Piety has everything he ever wanted. In public he's a wealthy, highly respected businessman, happily married to a beautiful woman and governor of his home city of Ellinburg. In private, he's no longer a gang lord, head of the Pious Men, but one of the Queen's Men, invisible and officially non-existent, working in secret to protect his country.

The queen's sudden death sees him summoned him back to the capital - where he discovers his boss, Dieter Vogel, Provost Marshal of the Queen's Men, is busy tightening his stranglehold on the country.

Just as he once fought for his Pious Men, Tomas must now bend all his wit and hard-won wisdom to protect his queen - even when he can't always tell if he's on the right side.

Tomas has started to ask himself, what is the price of power? And more importantly, is it one he is willing to pay?


Blackheart Knights (Blackheart Knights, #1) by Laure Eve

Blackheart KnightsBlackheart Knights by Laura Eve
Series: Blackheart Knights #1
Published by: Jo Fletcher Books on May 27, 2021
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 400
Source: Purchased
Buy from Goldsboro BooksBook Details

Power always wins.

Imagine Camelot but in Gotham: a city where Arthurian knights are the celebrities of the day, riding on motorbikes instead of horses and competing in televised fights for fame and money.

Imagine a city where a young, magic-touched bastard astonishes everyone by becoming king—albeit with extreme reluctance—and a girl with a secret past trains to become a knight for the sole purpose of vengeance.

Imagine a city where magic is illegal but everywhere, in its underground bars, its back-alley soothsayers - and in the people who have to hide what they are for fear of being tattooed and persecuted.

Imagine a city where electricity is money, power the only game worth playing, and violence the most fervently worshipped religion.

In this dark, chaotic, alluring place, any dream can come true if you want it hard enough—and if you are prepared to do some very, very bad things to get it . . .

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I'm a 30-something California girl living in England (I fell in love with a Brit!). My three great passions are: books, coding, and fitness. more »

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