Goodreads' 5 most anticipated fantasy books of 2023
What's the story
If you're someone who lives in a fantasy world, this one's for you!
2023 is shaping up to be a glorious year for fans of fantasy fiction as there are a host of debuts, sequels, and brand-new standalone prints marking the year.
Take a look at the top five highly anticipated books in the fantasy genre acquired from Goodreads' exhaustive 2023 list.
14th century India
'Victory City' by Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie's brilliant storytelling needs no introduction.
His works are self-explanatory of his writing acuity.
The story entails a nine-year-old girl in 14th-century India who becomes a vessel of the goddess Parvati.
The little girl is granted powers beyond her comprehension, and what happens next is for you to discover.
Victory City is expected to release on February 7.
Sinister
'Hell Bent' by Leigh Bardugo
Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if Alex is going to survive, she'll have to reckon with the monsters of her past.
Hell Bent is a sequel to author Bardugo's smash hit Ninth House.
Bardugo's rollercoaster ride will take you through sinister artifacts, eldritch tomes, dubious allies, and occult rituals.
The book is expected to release on January 10.
Deeply feminist
'VenCo' by Cherie Dimaline
Canadian author Cherie Dimaline writes a wildly imaginative and compulsively readable fantasia of adventure, history, Americana, feminism, and magic in her highly anticipated fantasy novel VenCo.
Author Dimaline's upcoming fantasy novel is a delightful testament to the power of all womankind.
It will have you crackling with magic, mystery, adventure, and intrigue.
It is expected to hit the stores on February 7.
Fairy tale for adults
'The Last Tale of the Flower Bride' by Roshani Chokshi
Roshani Chokshi's The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a mysterious, creepy fairy tale for adults, with all the gauzy, sultry atmosphere of a Guillermo Del Toro movie.
It's a sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy.
This spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner is expected to release on February 14.
Standalone
'In the Lives of Puppets' by TJ Klune
TJ Klune invites you to the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.
Klune's standalone story is a heartwarming, queer retelling of the Pinocchio tale.
Klune offers up hard truths alongside humor, kindness, love, and most importantly, hope.
It is expected to hit the stores on April 25.
Check out more such book recommendations.