Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
This week’s topic is Most Anticopated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2024. I don’t know about you, but I found it hard to narrow down to 10! There are A LOT of books I’m looking forward to. lol So, I put 10 that are high up on my list, and a few others at the end that are also on my radar. Let’s check them out!
1. The Gods Below
Title: The Gods Below
Author: Andrea Stewart
Series: The Gods Below #1
Page Length: 512
Publication Date: Sept. 5, 2024
Publisher: Orbit Books
Synopsis: The series is set in a world ravaged by ancient magic, where precious gemstones bestow magical abilities on the few individuals able to harness their power. Full of clandestine power struggles and the battles between gods, the story follows Hakara, a young woman searching for her missing sister and who will do anything to find her — even lead a rebellion against the gods themselves.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
2. The Undermining of Twyla and Frank
Title: The Undermining of Twyla and Frank
Author: Megan Bannen
Series: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy #2
Page Length: 464
Publication Date: July 2, 2024
Publisher: Orbit Books
Synopsis: The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla and Frank are still patrolling the dangerous land of Tanria, the former prison of the Old Gods.
Twyla might look like a small town mom who brings cheesy potatoes to funerals and whips up a batch of cookies for the school bake sale, but her rewarding career in law enforcement has been a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.
Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank’s job a lot safer … and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals covered in liquid glitter–and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon–they are more than happy to be back on the beat.
Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as the danger closes in and Twyla and Frank’s investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might just be the person who has lived next door all along…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
3. When the Viscount Seduces
Title: When the Viscount Seduces
Author: Darcy Burke
Series: Rogue Rules #3
Page Length: 316
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
Publisher: Zealous Quill Press
Synopsis: Rogue Rules When a young lady is ruined, her friends vow none of them will ever be ensnared by a scoundrel again. They will resist every gentleman’s charms even—and especially—if it means gaining a reputation for being impossible to woo. It will take extraordinary rogues to break their rules…From USA Today Bestselling Author Darcy Burke, author of The Untouchables and Phoenix Club series, comes your next Regency romance must-read.When the Viscount Seduces
After a disastrous Almack’s debut, bookish and clumsy Gwendolen Price is determined to improve her reputation and make her parents proud. The Viscount Somerton, her brother’s friend and one of Society’s most eligible bachelors, offers to help her, and she’s certain his attention will increase her standing—even though he’s exactly the kind of rake she has vowed to avoid. Lazarus Rowe, the eminently unserious and dashingly handsome Viscount Somerton, has spent a lifetime hiding his shameful he simply cannot read well. With a speech to Parliament looming, he’s desperate to remedy this deficiency. The chance to help his friend’s hopelessly bluestocking sister seems the perfect trade—his presence as her devoted escort in exchange for her help as his tutor. As sparks fly between them with every lesson, Gwen refuses to fall for a rogue while Lazarus, begins to reconsider his rakish ways. When a woman from his recent past makes a shocking revelation, Lazarus fears all is lost. Will Gwen retreat to the safety of her books, or do she and this almost-redeemed rake have a chance at a real life happily ever after?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
4. Not Another Love Song
Title: Not Another Love Song
Author: Julie Soto
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: Two string players fight their attraction for each other as they compete for center stage in this spicy and emotional romance.
Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are both musical prodigies, but each has had very different paths to success. Xander was born into classical music royalty, while Gwen had a natural ear for music that was nurtured by a kind shop owner.
After Gwen performs at his friend’s wedding, she’s mortified when she realizes Xander has no clue who she is—despite having worked together for a year at the Pops Orchestra. But she’s more furious that he arrogantly critiques her performance.
When Gwen is offered the role of First Chair of the orchestra, something Xander had secretly coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. But their respect for each other’s music is undeniable, and their onstage chemistry off the scale. As they begin to explore their feelings for one another, suddenly they’re box office dynamite and the fragile romance that’s growing between them is in danger of being crushed beneath a publicity stunt…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
5. A Reign of Rose
Title: A Reign of Rose
Author: Kate Golden
Series: The Sacred Stones #3
Page Length: 496
Publication Date: Oct. 8, 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Synopsis: They must save the world—but can they also save each other?
Kane Ravenwood, King of Onyx Kingdom, would go to the ends of the continent for Arwen Valondale, but what if she’s beyond even that? Broken in ways he never imagined he could be, Kane must find a way to fulfill the prophecy and kill his father, Fae King Lazarus. And after what he’s endured, he’s willing to save Evendell by whatever means necessary—even if that spells his own death.
Little does Kane know, he’s not the only one fighting for revenge. Arwen is no longer afraid to fight—no sacrifice is too great, no enemy too daunting. Now, nothing will stop her from destroying Lazarus and his allies, because she knows if she fails, both realms will be doomed forever.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
6. Heir
Title: Heir
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Series: Heir Duology
Page Length: 512
Publication Date: Oct. 1, 2024
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Synopsis: An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.
And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.
Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.
Banished from her tribe for an unforgiveable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who speaks to the earth, air, and water to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But then, she falls for a charismatic and inconvenient fugitive who keeps getting in her way.
QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire, nephew of a famed and venerated empress, but he’s loathe to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. As the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.
Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir masterfully interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with the burdens of power, the treachery of love and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed. Get ready for a dark and breathless journey that will captivate readers and that may cost these young people their lives―and their hearts. Literally.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
7. Where the Library Hides
Title: Where the Library Hides
Author: Isabel Ibanez
Series: Secrets of the Nile #2
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: Nov. 5, 2024
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: 1885, Egypt
Inez Olivera is left reeling from her cousin Elvira’s murder, and her mother’s betrayal, and when Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.
Marriage to Whitford Hayes.
Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
8. For She is Wrath
Title: For She is Wrath
Author: Emily Varga
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: Oct. 29, 2024
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: A sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her—including the boy she used to love.
Three hundred and sixty-four days.
Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved—and still can’t forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance–a stolen djinn treasure–they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure.
Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance–and her heart to the only boy she’s ever loved.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
9. A Magic Fierce and Bright
Author: Hemant Nayak
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Synopsis: A young technomancer teams up with a handsome thief to save her sister in this propulsive, magic-filled young adult fantasy that is perfect for fans of Gearbreakers and Iron Widow .
Adya wants nothing more than to be left alone. Content to be loyal to no one but herself in the isolated jungles of South India, she dreams only of finding her lost sister, Priya, and making enough money to take care of their family. It’s too bad that her rare ability to wake electric machines—using the magic that wiped them out five centuries ago—also makes her a coveted political pawn. Everyone seems to believe that her technomancy can help them win the endless war for control over the magic’s supernatural source.
These senseless power struggles mean little to Adya. But when her enemies dangle news of her sister before her, she’s all too quick to leap at the chance to bring Priya home—even if it means teaming up with a rakish, disreputable thief in order to do it. With the threat of invasion looming ever larger on the horizon, Adya must reconcile the kind of person she is with the kind of person she wants to be and untangle the web of intrigue, conspiracy, and deceit that threatens to take all of India down with it.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
10. The Phoenix Keeper
Author: S.A. Maclean
Page Length: 481
Publication Date: Aug. 13, 2024
Publisher: Orbit
Synopsis: A socially awkward but determined phoenix keeper must partner with her longtime rival to save her beloved exhibit from falling into obscurity in this charming, romantic fantasy debut.
Aila is a little obsessed with phoenixes. As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, her childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There’s just one glaring her zoo’s breeding program hasn’t functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix-nabbing cripples the flagship program at a neighbouring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are fit to take the reins. But saving a species takes more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks — Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. Inspiring zoo patrons? That’s another story. Finding the courage to ask for help from the hot dragon keeper at a neighbouring exhibit? Virtually impossible. And don’t get Aila started on her arch-rival from the glamorous leader of the zoo’s wildly popular griffin show, who’s convinced that Aila’s beloved phoenix would serve better as a performer than a conservation exhibit. Aided by both friends and enemies, Aila must conquer her social anxiety if she is to restore her breeding programme. With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila’s success isn’t only a matter of keeping her the future of a species depends on her.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Other Books I’m Excited For:
Are any of these on your radar? What other books are you excited for? Comment below!
Oh a new Sabaa Tahir book!
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2024/06/25/top-ten-tuesday-2024-backlist-books-reflection/
Thanks for this great list!
Awesome list, I’m also excited to read Twyla and Frank😁
IT sounds fantastic!! I hope we both love it. 🙂
There are so many I am looking forward to on this list! My number one is probably Heir.
Yes!!! It sounds amazing! That’s definitely at the top of my list.
I hope you enjoy all these anticipated books, Julie.
Thanks so much, Carla!
There are so many great books to look forward to. For She Is Wrath wasn’t on my radar but now it’s on my TBR because it sounds amazing! A Pakistani Count of Monte Cristo?! I’m here for it. I hope you enjoy all of these whenever you get to them, Julie 😍
OMG right! It sounds amazing!! I just got an arc of it and can’t wait to start it! Thanks, Dini! 🙂
The Undermining of Twyla and Frank made my list too! But I’m also excited for Not Another Love Song and Wisteria 🙂 Hope you’ll love all of these!
Thanks, Lindsey! You too!
I have a couple of yours on my TBR 🙂 and may be adding one or two more from this list – quite a nice selection you’re waiting for 🙂
Thanks, Rebecca! 🙂
The Phoenix Keeper sounds very intriguing!
Right! Very unique-sounding story. I can;t wait to read it!
Look at all of those beautiful covers. Hope we both love Heir 🩷
Yes! It sounds great!!
There are so many books on here that was on my list too and more I want on my list! I have to add Vilest Things on my TBR – I didn’t realize it was coming out this year!
I hadn’t heard of The Phoenix Keeper yet – but it sounds so good!
We have so many that overlap!!! So much buddy read potential. I’m loving our current Soto buddy read. It’s such a good book!
Yes!!! It was fantastic! We have a lot of good ones to look forward to. 🙂