Hello hello! I have something a little different for you all today. I’m collating a list of Indie & Self-published SFF books that are releasing this year. One thing I got out of BBNYA last year was realising there are some AMAZING books out there that fall a little under the radar because they aren’t traditionally published. I found so many new favourite reads through the awards last year and wanted to show a little love to books that people might miss. The below books will be broken down by genre & I will include age ranges and sub-genres in the description.
This is by no means a finished product, I will be adding to it throughout the year and updating the current lists with links and covers etc, as well as publish dates once announced. So if you are an author and want your book included, or know some releases that I’ve missed please don’t hesitate to contact me here or on twitter @beckyc_89.
Fantasy
The Oracle Stone by Talli. L Morgan
NA Fantasy, Mythology, Feisty magic, Queer.
SOME LEGENDS NEVER DIE.
JEKKU AJ’ERE can see everything from the start of time to the end, and it’s an agonizing curse. His only chance to bargain for freedom is to find the Oracle Stone, a magic artifact that was split into four pieces and hidden centuries ago.
LILYA NOOR wants to forget her past and be immortal, so she agrees to a blood oath that will grant her eternal life if she delivers the Oracle Stone to her Master of Magic. Failure is not an option, but what if the stone offers a better deal than simple immortality?
VAELTAJA IEVISIN has one chance for redemption: the Second Savior. Presenting the Savior and the lost Oracle Stone to his gods will end his banishment, but the Savior isn’t at all what Taja expected, and neither is the stone. And how much is forgiveness worth, anyway, when the gods are never satisfied?
There are higher powers at play, and Jekku, Lilya, and Taja must pull themselves together or risk losing everything to the vengeful spirits trapped in the stone. But it’s hard to save the world when you can’t trust anyone, including yourself, and certainly not the gods.
Create My Own Perfection by E.H. Timms
NA Fantasy, LGBTQ
“It’s not every day you get to put the fear of Medusa into a god.”
Emma Stone, medusa, is the groundskeeper for Olson College of Extensive Education, a place where everyone is welcome, from the mythical to the magical. When her selkie best friend loses her skin in Fresher’s week, the race is on to find it before someone uses it against her.
The search brings Emma face to face with her oldest enemy – and forces her to confront the worst nightmares of her past.
Children of the Dryads by Raina Nightingale
YA High Fantasy
When her human father, Eldor, a member of an organization of elite warriors dedicated to protecting the Valor Alliance, is called on a mission she does not think he can survive, Tara-lin violates his orders and follows him…
She is a half-elf, born with the long-lost ancestral magic of the elves. With her is Alis, a human girl desperate to avoid a marriage forced on her by her father, a colleague of Eldor, but terrified that gods Tara-lin does not believe exist will cast her into the netherhells for her disobedience. Ahead of them is Eldor’s terrifying destination – NIghtshade Castle, haunt of madness and black magic.
The Place Below by Dan Fitzgerald
Adult Low Fantasy
It’s been twenty-five years since the Battle for the Archive. Peace reigns over the Silver Hills, and humans and Maer are preparing to sign their first trade agreement. Even warring tribes of the Free Maer have set aside old quarrels.
Sasha is a young scholar of mixed Maer and human parentage, traveling throughout the Maer lands collecting stories of the Ka-lar, the buried Forever Kings. She finds a reference in the Archive to a Ka-lar named Kuun, a scholar in life, who was laid down in an ancient brightstone mine, beneath a mountain said to be the home of the fabled Skin Maer. The lure of the tale is too strong to resist. Joined by some old friends, Sasha sets out to uncover secrets that have lain buried for over a thousand years.
The Infinite Tower by Dorian Hart
Adult High Fantasy
Horn’s Company saved the world of Spira.
The Black Circle erased it.
Now Dranko, Morningstar, Kibi, and the rest of the team have a lot of work to do.
In order to mend their broken reality, the company must venture to distant Het Branoi — The Infinite Tower — in search of a third Eye of Moirel. Only then will they be able to travel into the past and stop the Sharshun from changing the course of history.
But Het Branoi is a bizarre and deadly place, a baffling construction full of mystery and danger, of magic and chaos, with unexpected allies and terrifying monsters. Horn’s Company will need courage, perseverance, and more than a little luck if they are to find the Eye and discover the terrible secret at the heart of the Infinite Tower.
Hunt by Alexandria Warwick
YA/NA Fantasy, mythology
Deep within the frozen tundra, darkness is stirring. Nanuq, master of all polar bears, seeks a terrifying power that would grant him control over all who inhabit the North—both animal and man. Slowly, he builds his forces. Slowly, he moves his pawns.
Salvation lies with young Apaay. After being separated from her family, she finds herself deep in enemy territory, navigating a world of violence and cunning. But her quest for truth is only the beginning. The path laid before her will test her loyalties, beliefs, and even her own identity. For if Apaay is to live in a free world, she must embrace a destiny greater than anything she has ever known.
In this breathtaking third installment of the North series, Apaay discovers just how far she’ll go to protect those she loves, and to claim her place in a changing world.
The Gifts of Faeri by Raina Nightingale
YA Fantasy
Faeri has something no one else does: the ability to sing power into objects and direct that power to her will. For more than two decades she and the obsidian dragon paired with her, Chrysanthemum, have been traveling Aneri, using her song to give gifts to everyone they come across that will make their lives easier. But then the fabled enemy in the stories, the Nightmare, shows its hand, trying to taint Faeri’s gifts and make them a snare to the souls of those who keep them.
Just when Faeri is convinced that her song is worse than useless, a conflict with nightmare creatures reveals Chrysanthemum’s fire as a bane to the Nightmare. . .
Judgement Day by Josie Jaffrey
( Cover to come.)
NA Urban fantasy, paranormal
Vampires don’t get happily ever afters.
Jack Valentine finally has her shit together. She has a great job, great friends (well, one at least) and a girlfriend whom she loves, even if she can’t work up the courage to tell her that yet. Unfortunately, she also has an archnemesis who’s about to punish her crimes in the worst possible way: by making her spend time with him.
Which she could cope with, maybe, if she didn’t have problems at work as well. When the body of a human judge is found in a locked library, there’s no denying that she was murdered by one of the Silver – by a vampire – and the evidence points worryingly close to home. If that wasn’t bad enough, some of Jack’s least favourite people are opening a new blood bar in Oxford with questionable motives. For Jack and her team, it’s becoming increasingly hard to separate allies from enemies.
With conspiracies on every side, the simmering tensions in Silver society are about to come to a head. As usual, Jack intends to be right in the middle of it. She does like it when things get messy.
The Gatekeeper of Pericael by Hayley Reese Chow
MG Fantasy, portal fantasy
Twelve-year-old Porter would much rather spend his weekends playing soccer than channeling spirits in the parallel universe of Pericael. Unfortunately for him, Porter’s family has guarded the gate between Earth and monster-filled Pericael for generations, so he’s not getting out of Gatekeeper lessons anytime soon.
But some after-school activities are more dangerous than others.
When a soul thief threatens the gate, Porter reluctantly comes to its defense… and gets thrown deep into Pericael’s dangerous jungle wilderness. With the help of two fierce native girls, Porter must learn to embrace the creepy spirits and find his way back to the gate. But the soul thief is racing for the gate too, and if he gets there first, Porter won’t have a home to go back to.
Sol Invictus by Ben Gartner
MG Fantasy, portal fantasy
Siblings John and Sarah barely made it home last time, but in their next time traveling adventure the challenge really heats up. Surrounded by clashing cultures on the ancient Roman frontier, they must fulfill their quest to unite the emperor with his enemy, an Alemanni barbarian, or risk being stuck in time forever.
An action-packed fantasy full of sword fights, chariot chases, fearsome wild animals, and high mountain survival. For graduates of the Magic Tree House looking for a thrilling middle grade page-turner, read Sol Invictus, book two of The Eye of Ra series!
The Cursed Titans by Ricardo Victoria
NA, Fantasy & Sci-Fi
The triennial Chivalry Games have returned! After helping to destroy the Withered King, Alex and the rest of the group find out that saving the world has consequences. While he is secretly battling with depression and with the Alliance on the verge of collapse, a diplomatic summit and the Chivalry Games—to be held in the far off Kuni Empire—may give everyone the opportunity to turn things around. Alex builds a team to represent the Foundation in the Games, facing off against the best fighters in the world. When an ancient being tries to raise legendary nightmares known as Titans using the peace talks as a trap, Alex has to find a way to save everyone before it is too late. Alex must learn that he is not truly alone to save the world from the chaos of the Titans. In a world where magic and science intermingle, anything is possible.
Troll Queen by Tara Grayce
Ya Fantasy, Romance
Essie has her elf back…but his mind is still stuck in that dungeon.
The war is over. A peace treaty with the trolls has been signed. But not everyone in Kostaria is happy with peace. Will a marriage alliance be strong enough to avert a coup against the new troll king?
Science Fiction.
The Dollfaces by Allan Ivers
YA SF, crime action.
On the Planet of Lights, all sorts of corruption takes place under the permanent night…
Paula Espinoza is an estranged heiress to a criminal empire, a young dilettante washing down her grief in the Nightside club scene. And she knows that her father was murdered.
There’s only one real suspect: her mother, Serena, the brutal gun-running kingpin of the planet Ilum. She has her fingers in everything, able to twist any situation to her benefit and evade any consequence.
Along with her devoted bodyguard, her crazy schoolmate, a former soldier–and enough firepower–Paula thinks she can bring her mother to justice. Together, they set out to rob Serena, one bank at a time, eroding her strength from the ground up.
But the Ministry Officials on their tail won’t make it easy…
The Blood Service by Allen Ivers
Adult, Sci-Fi, Action, Epic.
Fresh from Academy, young Colonel Marcus Riley refuses to leave the colony undefended–even if it costs him his career. He mans his post along with a small company of volunteers. But if the handful of AWOL heroes want to survive until reinforcement, they’ll need more bodies in uniform.
Seventeen-year-old Aaron Havenes was convicted for murder, a Capital offense. He has been sentenced to a lifetime of labor, and to his horrid luck, he is trapped on Vanguard. But Riley has an offer for the Capitals — conscript with the Imperial Army, serve with honor, and he can earn his citizenship back: a clean slate…
Before long, Aaron finds himself a reluctant leader, a folk hero to the people, as his penal legion stands against a foe unlike any mankind has ever faced. If he wants his freedom, he’ll have to survive long enough to claim it.
The Gold Service by Allen Ivers
YA, Space opera, Action, Adventure.
He was just a cabin boy, scraping out the vents on a rusty old ship. The crew was bandits and scoundrels to the last. They did honest work that needed doing, and less honest work when the time called for it. But they never thought they’d be hired by the Imperial Navy.
Beyond the reach of the law, rumors have started to swirl: the Icon of Cruciform has been found. It’s the Holy Grail, an artifact with untold powers and treasured by the Faithful. And it’s buried somewhere deep in the pockets of the universe’s worst criminals. Which is why, to get it out safely, the pompous zealots in the Navy were going to need some criminals of their own…
Success would mean their freedom. Failure might cost them their lives. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, one steely NavyOfficer seems dead set on making sure they never find it…
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Becky's Book Blog 
Thanks so much for sharing this list. I will check some of these out@
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Yay! I hope you find some you like. I’ve already treated myself to a few 🙈😂
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Whoa, so many releases and so many of them sound really good as well! 😍 I see a lot of these are books in a series though so will definitely have to check out the earlier books. I can’t wait for Judgement Day after loving May Day last year! Great list, Becky 🙂
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Don’t they sound great! I’ve already treated myself to a few, and may have an arc of Judgement Day sat on my kindle already 👀👀
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