Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack.
Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.
For the romantics who want to explore themes of love and parenthood through a queer romance, there’s Husband of the Year (Teachers in Love) by M. A Wardell, while romantasy YA readers have I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker, which has a Japanese dragon god (!). For more YA, but this time in the form of a Euphoria-esque thriller, there’s How Girls Are Made by Mindy McGinnis, and there’s MindWorks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction by Neal Shusterman for those who want short stories that tend towards the freaky-deaky.
As for our featured new releases, there is a fiery reimagining of Medusa, the true story of a history-making cannibalistic crew, a middle-aged mom’s magic saves, and more.
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I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
In this reimagining of Medusa’s story, we see a new kind of villain origin story. Young Meddy dreams of a life of adventure, which is why she jumps at the chance to train at the goddess Athena’s temple. Our girl flourishes as an acolyte and even earns a place as Athena’s favorite, but we know what’s coming next: one night and one encounter with Poseidon that changes everything. Athena’s locs are transformed into snakes as punishment for something she didn’t do, and she finds her entire life has flipped upside down. She’s not going down without a fight, though. Instead of victim, she becomes vigilante, and there is hell to pay for those who have wronged her.
Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much by Cynthia Erivo
Singer and actor Cynthia Erivo invites readers into her life with her new book, Simply More. In a series of vignettes, Erivo shares examples of when she was told that she was too much or not enough. Sometimes she made mistakes and had to pick herself back up and try again. Using these stories from her own life, Erivo encourages her readers to believe in themselves and understand that they are enough. —Kendra Winchester
The Botanist’s Assistant by Peggy Townsend
Margaret Finch—with her six-foot-tall frame, small cabin in the woods, and meticulously planned daily schedule—is considered odd by many. But it’s just her eccentricities that make her an excellent research assistant to a talented botanist. Unfortunately, it’s also those eccentricities that stack against her once death comes to the small university where she works. Though the death is ruled to be natural, Margaret thinks there’s something else going on—something involving jealousy and secrets. So of course, she sets out to find the truth herself, but the killer may also be trying to find her.
The Glowing Life of Leeann Wu by Mindy Hung
New changes have started happening now that Leeann Wu has entered middle age. Her daughter is off to college, and she’s dating a much younger man. Weird things are occurring, as well. Accidents and insomnia plague her whole town, and her hands have started to glow with light. With clues left behind by a great aunt, Leeann will have to figure out how to use her new magical talent to save the town. —Liberty Hardy
Captain’s Dinner: A Shipwreck, An Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History by Adam Cohen
Perfect for fans of The Wager and The Heart of the Sea, Captain’s Dinner follows a crew adrift at sea that is faced with an impossible decision. After their ship sinks, Captain Thomas Dudley and his crew must decide to starve to death or eat one of their crew members. They decide to eat the cabin boy and find themselves facing dire consequences after they are rescued. —Kendra Winchester
Black, White, Colored: The Hidden Story of an Insurrection, a Family, a Southern Town, and Identity in America by Lauretta Malloy Noble and LeeAnét Noble
On election day in 1898, white supremacists attacked the Black residents of Laurinburg, North Carolina, forcing them to flee. Lauretta Malloy Noble and LeeAnét Noble have meticulously researched the events of that day, presenting the first book that details the impact this violence had on the Black residents of the town. —Kendra Winchester
Other Book Riot New Releases Resources:
- All the Books, our weekly new book releases podcast, where Liberty and a cast of co-hosts talk about eight books out that week that we’ve read and loved.
- The New Books Newsletter, where we send you an email of the books out this week that are getting buzz.
- Finally, if you want the real inside scoop on new releases, you have to check out Book Riot’s New Release Index! That’s where I find 90% of new releases, and you can filter by trending books, Rioters’ picks, and even LGBTQ new releases!
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