August is here, and so are the fresh, bold voices of speculative fiction! This month’s lineup of fantasy and romantasy releases from marginalized authors brings you dark magic, sapphic romance, and epic battles for power and identity. Whether you’re in the mood for a high-stakes rebellion, a witchy tale of vengeance, or a love story that defies worlds, these books are perfect for your late-summer reading list.
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Fantasy
A Dance of Burning Blades (Invoker 2) by M. H. Ayinde - August 11, 2026
Adult Dark Fantasy
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War rages on in the second heart-pounding novel in M. H. Ayinde’s relentless epic fantasy series The Invoker Trilogy, a sweeping epic of revenge and rebellion set in a richly drawn world of warring clans and ancestor magic.

Book Description
A DANCE OF RAGE. A DANCE OF RUIN. A DANCE OF BURNING BLADES.
Tension simmers across the Nine Lands. In the capital, the people of Lordsgrave seethe with resentment after the horrors of the greyblood attack. Clan Adatali is in open rebellion against the king, and as war in the Feverlands rages on, a humble tree feller—who looks a lot like missing invoker Jinao Mizito—has not forgotten the promise he made to avenge his brother.
Meanwhile, in the shadows, the king’s daughter Lyela continues to move her pieces across the board. Can the people of the Nine Lands reclaim their stolen history and unlock the secrets that have been kept from them for centuries?
Fortune’s Wake by C.L. Clark - August 24, 2026
Adult Dark Sapphic Fantasy
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The Witcher series meets RJ Barker’s The Bone Ships and Nicola Griffith's Spear in this standalone dark fantasy novella about a failed monster-hunter, from the award-nominated author of The Unbroken, Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf, Fate's Bane and more.

Book Description
Kill the beast.
Earn some coin.
Get the girl.
Or at least, that’s how it was supposed to go. Kova of Stormwatch made a promise when she left her mother and sweetheart weeping on the shore back home: she’d earn her fortune slaying the beasts that haunt the woods and the horrors that lurk in the shadows, or she would die trying. But to do that, she needs an apprenticeship with a master monster hunter. The best of the best: Sayre Boarbane.
Pity that Sayre works alone.
When Sayre drags Kova home by the ear, they’re both in for a rude awakening. Kova’s mother? Missing. Kova’s lover? Taking long walks on the beach with a stranger.
And all those monsters Kova wanted to slay? They’re back in Stormwatch, dragging villagers into the ocean.
The Witch Queen (The Crimson Crown 2) by Heather Walter - August 11, 2026
Adult Sapphic Romantasy
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Pay the price of blood and snow: Snow White’s wicked queen rises to her destiny in the second book of a queer, witchy duology that’s hailed as “an alluring, vengeful origin story that brings tremendous dimension to the classic fairy tale” (Chloe Gong)—from the author of Malice.

Book Description
The wicked queen’s story did not end with a happily ever after. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
With the king bound to her magic mirror and Princess Blodwyn, the rightful heir, hidden away in the countryside, Queen Ayleth has the kingdom entirely at her command.
Despite her ultimate power, Ayleth finds herself consumed: With fears that the witches from her former coven will return to depose her. With the dread that someone at the palace will discover her secret. With her own deepening dark magic.
And with thoughts of her lost love, Jacquetta—the witch whose betrayal still haunts Ayleth as stubbornly as the lingering scent of juniper.
But Ayleth’s carefully built world begins to unravel when Blodwyn returns from exile accompanied by Margaret, the king’s scheming sister, and reveals a plan of her own: to invoke Braxos’s Trials, a contest of bravery, wisdom, and justice that could allow Blodwyn to retake the throne. Ayleth suddenly discovers she is in danger of losing the crown she sacrificed everything to win—and she will do anything to retain control.
And Ayleth isn’t the only one struggling with her altered position. Blodwyn’s homecoming soon proves more difficult than she imagined. Embroiled in Ayleth’s viperous court, Blodwyn is surrounded by enemies and plagued by rumors of a long-buried curse come to life. As family secrets resurface, the princess isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Especially when she may be falling for one of her rivals in the trials.
As the battle for the realm intensifies, both Ayleth and Blodwyn find themselves fighting not only for the throne but for the truth of their own souls. Soon, they must each decide: What price are they willing to pay to wear the crown?
Romantasy
Earthbound (Faebound 3) by Saara El-Arifi - August 11, 2026
Adult Sapphic Romantasy
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Yeeran and Lettle’s world has been shaken by a revelation from the Fates that changes everything: The obeah are not what they seem. Return to the intoxicating realm of the fae one last time in the final installment of the #1 Sunday Times bestselling Faebound trilogy

Book Description
Broken by love.
Trapped by war.
Bound by magic.
Lettle is on a quest to uncover the truth. Along with the human Alder, the last of his kind, she sets off on an arduous journey of discovery. But after a painful separation from King Rayan, she is struggling to find her way.
Alder is determined to learn more about his origins. With no memories of his childhood, he retraces his steps to the cave where it all began. But what he finds there may shake him to the core.
Back in the fae court, Yeeran has other priorities. The warrior-turned-ambassador must negotiate a peace treaty with the elven army. But it’s hard to bargain with a duplicitous enemy. And it’s even harder to negotiate with a broken heart.
Secrets ripple like an earthquake across the land and love and power are at the core of them all.
Eyes of Kings (Flesh & False Gods 3) by Chloe Gong - August 4, 2026
Adult Romantasy
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The action-packed finale to Chloe Gong’s New York Times bestselling Flesh & False Gods trilogy—inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra—brings readers the ultimate showdown for power among gods and men.

Book Description
War beckons in the kingdom of Talin. On one side sits Calla Tuoleimi and Anton Makusa, and on the other, the recently dethroned August Shenzhi and Calla's own predecessor Sinoa Tuoleimi. Neither will rest until the opposition is buried.
Calla assumed victory would be easy. She wears the divine crown after a violent coup, wielding the most powerful weapon in the kingdom. Then the provinces start to whisper of the old gods returning to earth, and suddenly the game board is flipped upside-down.
Anton thought he aligned himself with victory. When he swore to serve as Calla’s general, he understood the battle they were waging. But he fears Calla is no longer herself with the crown. Rather, he fears that Calla is returning to who she once was.
August would sacrifice anything for victory. He has waited his entire life for the throne, and surrender is not an option. In the face of age-old immortals challenging his terrain and the possibility of betrayal from his closest and most cherished guard, he must be careful who he trusts.
Because when the war ends, there can only be one king.
A World Enough by Jenny Frame - August 1, 2026
Adult Sapphic Romantasy
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When a werewolf from the Irish Filtiaran pack is thrust into a strange world, she saves a hunted Map Keeper—only to be met with indifference. But as a deadly alliance of paranormals closes in, their uneasy truce ignites into something deeper, and Brogan discovers that home might be closer than she ever imagined.

Book Description
When Brogan, werewolf of the Irish Filtiaran pack, is thrown through a portal into a new world, she finds Camber, a young woman being hunted. She risks everything to save her, and all she gets is a curt thanks. Which is a shame, because when Brogan looks in her eyes, her senses explode. Then Camber jumps through a portal and disappears, and Brogan must follow her. Maybe this woman can help her find her way home.
Camber has been running since she was ten years old. Born a Map Keeper, she holds the power to find portals, and this magic is very valuable to many worlds.
When a malevolent group of paranormals, who seem to have inspired the Celtic God myths, band together to destroy her, Camber and Brogan come to an uneasy truce. Brogan will help protect Camber, and Camber will help her find her way back to Earth. But as secrets are shared and their hearts begin to beat as one, will Brogan find she is closer to home than she thinks?
From the fiery rebellion in A Dance of Burning Blades to the witchy intrigue of The Witch Queen, and the heart-pounding finale of Eyes of Kings, August’s speculative fiction releases are packed with magic, adventure, and unforgettable characters. These stories from marginalized authors are here to captivate, inspire, and transport you to new worlds.
Happy reading!
/rae/
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