April’s science fiction and fantasy releases are here, bringing fresh voices, diverse characters, and bold storytelling to the forefront. From dark fairy tale retellings to rebellious space operas, these books redefine heroism and sacrifice in unforgettable ways.
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The Photonic Effect by Mike Chen - April 21, 2026
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A starship captain, finally returned from a decade lost in space, must decide whether to risk everything by revisiting the mysterious energy that stranded her crew or walk away as her galaxy teeters on the brink of civil war.
Book Description
The starship Horizon’s crew spent ten years trapped across the expanse of space. Now they’re finally home—only it’s not the home they knew. The Cluster, once a peaceful coalition of planets, has fractured in the wake of civil war.
Captain Demora Kim wants nothing more than to protect her surviving crew. It’s what she owes them after years of instability and terror. But in times of war, no one is allowed neutrality.
After an attack on a mining station leaves thousands dead, Demi’s efforts become almost impossible. Every ship is needed on the frontline. Thrust deeper into a conflict she barely understands, Demi considers a bold choice—one that might keep her promises but tip the galaxy further into chaos.
Who This Book Is For
If you love stories about found family, reluctant heroes, and the ethical complexities of war, this book is for you.
The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu - April 7, 2026
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A woman must navigate generational trauma, sibling rivalry, and a collapsing multiverse all while deciding whether to save her comatose mother or the fabric of reality itself.
Book Description
Ellie’s universe―and this one―is falling apart. Her ailing mother is in a coma; her sister, Chris, accuses her of being insufficiently Chinese between assassination attempts; and a shadowy cabal of engineers is trying to hijack the skunkworks, the machinery that keeps the physics of each universe working the way it’s supposed to.
Daniel, Ellie's cousin, has found an illicit device in the skunkworks―one that keeps Ellie's comatose mother alive while also creating destabilizing bugs in the physics of this universe. It's not a good day.
If she can confront her mother’s legacy and overcome her family’s generational trauma, she just might find a way to preserve the skunkworks and reconcile with her sister…but digging into her family’s past is thornier than it seems, and the secrets she uncovers will force Ellie to choose between her family and the universe itself.
Who This Book Is For
just from the description this feels like it’s for fans of Everything Everywhere All at Once, with its mix of family drama, multiversal chaos, and emotional resonance. If you’re drawn to narratives about cultural identity, sibling rivalry, and the cost of keeping secrets, this book is for you.
The Language of Liars by S. L. Huang - April 21, 2026
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A spy trains his entire life to infiltrate an alien species by becoming one of them only to realize that true understanding might be the very thing that destroys them.
Book Description
In his training as a spy, Ro was warned: you will always be living a lie.
Jumping into a Star Eater's mind in the first place requires a moment of perfect psychic connection, and he has studied all his life to comprehend their species. Admires them, respects them, is reverent at the idea of being one of them―the only species physiologically capable of mining the element needed for lightyear-spanning space travel. The species all others crave to know more of, but who have notoriously shared so very little. The species Ro's own small civilization, with its dwindling resources and withering reach, needs to know more about.
It will feel real, his elders impressed upon him. It will never be real.
But Ro's certainty runs deep: he will be different. Ro will not be an imposter hiding the truth of his past, because his heart will be one of them. He will be one of them.
To understand is to become. It never occurs to him that the mere act of understanding can destroy.
Who This Book Is For
Fans of authors like Arkady Martine and Ann Leckie, who explore empire, identity, and the complexities of cross-cultural infiltration, will find this story particularly compelling. If you love narratives that challenge the idea of "understanding" and the cost of secrets, this book is for you.
The Genie Game by Jordan Ifueko - April 21, 2026
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A 13-year-old girl discovers she’s been drafted into a magical wish-granting competition run by sinister corporations and her only way to save her missing sister is to outsmart the system from the inside.
Book Description
Harriet the Spy meets Black Mirror in The Genie Game, the start of a thrilling new middle-grade series from Jordan Ifueko, author of the New York Times bestselling fantasy Raybearer.
Four starred reviews! “Positive, powerful, and action-packed.” (Kirkus)
Valentine Adesanya has two missions: 1) become a Feared and Fabulous Film Director and 2) find her missing big sister, Mango. She suspects The Trio Trust, a collection of creepy mega-companies that now rule the United States, made Mango disappear.
A text lures Valentine to a magical boba shop, which comes to life and tells Valentine she is now a GENIE: a member of the General Employee Network of Immortal Engineers, an underground workforce run by the Trio Trust. Genies may only leave their bottles to grant the wishes of mortals. With each granted wish, The Trio Trust gains more magic, and so the Trio hosts a glamorous wish-granting competition, rewarding top players with fabulous prizes. The twist?
The greedy Trio forbids genies from using magic. Genies must grant wishes using nothing but smarts, luck, and elbow grease.
To free her sister Mango and escape the Genie Game, Valentine must score more wish-granting points than any other Genie. But how did the Trio Trust get so powerful in the first place? Why is a magical monster stomping through her home city of Gloss Angeles?
And why does the Trio Trust seem so afraid of 13-year-old Valentine Adesanya?
Who This Book Is For
Fans of Harriet the Spy’s clever protagonists and Black Mirror’s thought-provoking twists will find plenty to enjoy here. Perfect for readers ages 8–12 and anyone who loves a heroine who refuses to play by the rules.
A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang - April 15, 2026
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A tree-like princess, bound by tradition to marry a human king to save her people, uncovers a dark truth about her origins and must choose between duty and rebellion to free her family from a cycle of sacrifice.
Book Description
Liu Lufeng is the eldest princess of the Feng royalty and, bound by duty and tradition, the next bride to the human king. With their bark faces, arms of braided branches and hair of needle threads, the Feng people live within nature, nurtured by the land. But they exist under the constant threat of human expansion, and the negotiation of bridewealth is the only way to stop— or at least delay—the destruction of their home. Come her wedding day, Lufeng plans to kill the king and finally put an end to the marriages.
Trapped in the great human palace in the run-up to the union, Lufeng begins to uncover the truth about her people’s origins and realizes they will never be safe from the humans. So she must learn to let go of duty and tradition, choose her allies carefully, and risk the unknown in order to free her family and shape her own fate.
From a rising-star author, winner of the both the Bram Stoker® and Nebula Awards, a richly inventive, brutal and beautiful story of family, loss, oppression and rebellion.
Who This Book Is For
Readers who love lush, imaginative science-fantasy with deep emotional stakes will be captivated by A Palace Near the Wind. Fans of Nghi Vo’s The Empress of Salt and Fortune and Kritika H. Rao’s The Surviving Sky—stories that blend myth, resistance, and the natural world—will find much to cherish here.
A River from the Sky by Ai Jiang - April 21, 2026
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Two sisters, torn apart by war and experimentation, must navigate a drowning world of industrial tyranny to reclaim their family, their culture, and the last remnants of their dying home.
Book Description
Fleeing from the bone palace and crashing into the waters below its steep walls, Lufeng and her siblings reach Gear, with its huge deadly water wheels, where their sister Sangshu is waiting for them. In the chaos of the enormous waves, within moments they're snatched away and taken into rebel territory, where they learn more of the deadly experiments Zinc has wreaked upon the people.
Loyal to Copper now, Sangshu herself is a victim of Zinc's experiments. Desperate to find her family, she races through Gear to Engine, ruthless Zinc's industrial heartland, where she burns with a desire to fix her own mistakes and those of others and find a way to save her world.
This powerful, beautifully told novella explores the bonds of family, the pain of leaving all you have known behind, and the terrible price of our industrial future.
Who This Book Is For
Fans of Nghi Vo’s The Empress of Salt and Fortune and Kritika H. Rao’s The Surviving Sky will be drawn to this story of rebellion, environmental devastation, and the unbreakable bonds of family.
Year of the Mer by L. D. Lewis - April , 2026
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A vengeful mermaid princess, exiled and betrayed, must decide how much of her soul she’s willing to sacrifice to reclaim her throne with the help of a sea witch who has her own centuries-old score to settle.
Book Description
A dark, bloody epic fantasy reimagining of The Little Mermaid that goes far beyond the fairy tale to explore family legacy, war, and what we will sacrifice for vengeance—the perfect read for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and Circe.
The fairy tale mermaid Arielle might have gotten her happily-ever-after, but her granddaughter Yemi is having a much harder time. Her father, the king of Ixia, was assassinated years ago, her mother is slowly dying of a poisoned wound, and she faces whispers and slights from her own people. Yemi has been raised as the shield of the kingdom and is soon to inherit the throne, but she cannot shake her fury at how Ixia has treated her family after all they’ve sacrificed. Only her patient mother and steadfast personal bodyguard (and fiancée), Nova, help Yemi rein in that fury...most of the time.
When the kingdom’s discontented rumblings reach a fever pitch, a coup erupts and Yemi’s throne is usurped, stripping her of her family and forcing her into exile. Now, only one being has the power to help her: Ursla.
Like her grandmother before her, Yemi is tempted by a deal with the sea-witch. With powerful and ancient magic behind her, Yemi could avenge her family, take back her throne, and protect the love of her life. But she should know more than anyone that there is always a price. As much as Yemi wants vengeance, Ursla has been waiting a very, very long time for her own—and it may take more fortune than Yemi possesses to keep her from losing everything all over again.
Who This Book Is For
Fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and Circe will be captivated by this fierce, feminist epic fantasy that explores the cost of vengeance, the weight of legacy, and the power of love in the face of betrayal. Readers who enjoy morally complex heroines, dark retellings, and stories of political intrigue and personal sacrifice will find Year of the Mer unforgettable.
With worlds as rich as they are thought-provoking, April’s SFF releases are a must-read for anyone craving adventure, depth, and diversity. Dive in and discover your next favorite story.
Happy reading!
