Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post from Genoveva Dimova – author of the upcoming Slavic folklore-inspired Foul Days, out in June from Tor Books. I’ve been looking forward to reading Foul Days for a while now, so I was delighted when Genoveva agreed to contribute this guest post, in which she’s looking ahead to 2024 and picking out a dozen upcoming fantasy debuts for us all to look forward to! I had a few of these on my radar already (and I’ve actually read one, and can confirm that it’s brilliant), but lots more are new to me, and sound fantastic – so if, like me, you’re always on the lookout for new books to add to your TBR, this is exactly the right place to be! And it’s just the icing on the cake that they’re all debuts, too.
So without further ado, over to Genoveva – let the recommendations begin!
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Genoveva Dimova: As a reader, I love debuts. I enjoy finding a new favourite author when they’re brand new – it makes me feel cool and ahead of the curve, kind of like seeing Nirvana when they still played in Kurt Cobain’s garage. There is something so fulfilling about watching an author grow, in terms of both craft and popularity.
And as a newly minted debut author, I can’t describe how much early reader support means to us.
So, I thought today I’d highlight twelve of my favourite adult fantasy debuts coming out next year. I’ve deliberately chosen a wide variety of books: from aquatic cities (Fathomfolk) to post-apocalyptic wastelands (Road to Ruin); from epic adventures on the high seas (The Storm Gathers) to worlds stuck in an eternal autumn (The Longest Autumn); from cosy mysteries (Voyage of the Damned) to cosy travelogues (The Teller of Small Fortunes). We have Jewish folklore (The Sins on Their Bones), Scandinavian myths (Snowblooded), Irish gods (Unbound), and Slavic monsters (Foul Days); we have living dolls (The Dollmakers) and scheming vampires (Mistress of Lies) – I truly believe there will be something here for every reader.
The Storm Gathers by Maelan Holladay
Release month: January
For fans of: feminist epic fantasy, pirates, stormwitches and ruthless queens, The Bone Shard Daughter
Set in an imaginative world of devastating storms and vast oceans, The Storm Gathers follows three interesting women, each with their own motivations: a young Stormwitch following in her father’s footsteps to find a magical compass; a sharp-tongued rebellion leader on the run; and a queen known for her ruthlessness and her cold heart. Fast-paced, exciting, with a vast and interesting world full of fascinating magic, this book feels modern and fresh while harking back to the best fantasy traditions. My favourite character was the queen, Alana, whose arc felt so satisfying, as she had to admit she occasionally needs help from others, and slowly came to the realisation there are people she cares about, after all.
Unbound by Christy Healy
Release month: January
For fans of: Irish mythology, feminine rage, love interests who double as antagonists, oral storytelling
This story is advertised as a gender-bent Beauty and the Beast, but it was, in fact, so much more. It’s told in two timelines and peppered with retellings of Irish myths, which makes it into a fun puzzle the reader has to solve to figure out what transpired between our ‘beast’, Rozlyn, and the ‘beauty’, her estranged husband, Jamie. As a child, Rozlyn was cursed with a terrible power which, quite literally, turns her into a monster – she spends many years waiting for her one true love to break the curse, until Jamie shows up. Except, Jamie is not quite who he pretends to be, and we follow their complicated relationship through betrayals, heartbreak, and danger. Rozlyn was this book’s highlight: she’s a fully realised and compelling main character, and it was a joy watching her embrace her monstrous side, in a true twist of the established tropes of the genre.
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
Release month: January
For fans of: hilarious protagonists with zero respect for authority, expertly done fat rep, murder cruises, Agatha Christie
At the intersection of epic fantasy and murder mystery, you’ll find Voyage of the Damned: set on a cruise ship taking the heirs to the twelve provinces of the realm to complete an important ritual, everything goes wrong once, one by one, the heirs begin dying in mysterious circumstances. This is a classic closed room (ship) murder mystery, to which the magic elements only add. The true star of the show, our improvised detective, is the protagonist, Dee: the heir to one of the lower provinces and the only one on board with no magic (a secret he has to keep at all costs), he is funny, relatable, both confident and insecure in equal measure. He’d spit in the face of authority and unapologetically flirt with anything that moves – which, on a murder cruise, is quite high standards, actually.
(See also: AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Frances White Talks Voyage of the Damned – ToW)
The Longest Autumn by Amy Avery
Release month: January
For fans of: unique pantheons, atmospheric autumnal worlds, ill-advised romantic relationships, chronically ill main characters who kick ass
Are you tired of mythology retellings? Me neither! The thing that sets The Longest Autumn apart is that rather than retelling an already established mythology, it invents its own pantheon based on the four seasons, with its own gods and goddesses, religious festivals, and traditions. The plot centres around solving the mystery of a broken magical mirror, which, if unmended, would trap the god of autumn in the mortal realm, causing a never-ending autumn. Tirne, our protagonist, is the god’s Herald, and she takes it upon herself to solve the mystery, uncovering dangerous secrets along the way and making both enemies and allies (and allies who might actually be enemies). She is a wonderful main character: ambitious, driven, and relatable, even when making terrible decisions and entangling herself into ill-advised affairs with both gods and mortals.
Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan
Release month: February
For fans of: vividly built aquatic worlds, East and South-East Asian folklore, fantasy that explores important topics without ever sacrificing pace or plot, Jade City
Fathomfolk is set in a semi-submerged city populated by both humans and ‘fathomfolk’ (creatures like sirens, kelpies, kappas and water dragons) who live together, though their coexistence is far from peaceful, with the humans occupying the top of the social hierarchy. The narrative weaves together the viewpoints of three complex women: Mira, a half-siren attempting to change the system from within by rising in military rank; Nami, a water dragon from a rich family entangling herself with anti-human extremists; and Cordelia, a sea witch married to an important politician using the tensions between humans and fathomfolk for her own selfish ends. The novel explores some heavy themes through a fantasy lens, like racism and xenophobia, class struggles, and the climate crisis – however, the atmosphere is anything but oppressive. On the contrary, there is plenty of joy and love in the narrative, and the world is so much fun to explore, with its strong East and South-East Asian influences and its sprawling city setting.
The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin
Release month: May
For fans of: Jewish folklore, lovers to enemies, magic with a steep cost, Shadow & Bone
Set in a world steeped in Jewish mysticism, The Sins on Their Bones is told through three tightly interwoven viewpoints. First, we’re introduced to Dimitri, the ex-Tsar who had this throne stolen by his power-hungry husband, and now finds himself drowning his sorrows in drink. Then, we meet the husband – Alexey, who is the sort of villain you can’t help but love, determined that everything he does is justified and for the greater good. After achieving immortality through dabbling with dark magic, Alexey turns more and more monstrous with every page. Finally, the third point of view is that of Vasily, a spymaster caught between the two men, but only loyal to one. This is a story about trauma, forgiveness and learning to love yourself after someone did their best to convince you you’re unlovable – but also about how power can corrupt.
Snowblooded by Emma Sterner-Radley
Release month: May
For fans of: assassins who actually assassinate, wintery Scandinavian settings, badass women in love with badass women, The Lies of Locke Lamora
Snowblooded is a brilliant fantasy adventure about a pair of assassins who can’t stand each other, forced to work together to take down a drug-trafficking crime boss. There is a lot to love about this novel: the setting, with its sinister crime underbelly but cosy winter atmosphere, with a sprinkle of Norse myth and magic; the twists and turns of the plot, each more unexpected than the last; and, of course, the characters. I was particularly drawn to Valour, our brawny assassin with a heart of gold, who has repeatedly brought the Order of Assassins’ wrath upon herself due to her refusal to murder anyone she believes doesn’t deserve it. She’s brash, impulsive, an unapologetic womanizer, and yet, beneath it all, sensitive and loyal. Her constant sibling-like bickering with Petrichor, her assassin rival she grew up with, was often laugh-out-loud funny.
Road to Ruin by Hana Lee
Release month: May
For fans of: creative worldbuilding, dinosaur pets, messy bi(ker) protagonists, Mad Max: Fury Road
Road to Ruin stars Jin, a courier who travels between isolated city states in the wastelands on her mana-powered motorbike. After spending years helping two royal heirs exchange love letters – a job that should, by all means, be rather straightforward – she finds herself embroiled in a mystery plot connecting present-day political struggles and ancient magic. To complicate things further, she might be starting to care about the two royals a bit too much. I really enjoyed the Mad-Max-esque world of this story, with its strange creatures roaming the wilderness, storms that can cost your life, and ancient ruins buried underground – and I adored Jin, with her sharp, snarky voice and her tough exterior hiding a much softer interior. The two royals grew into their own characters with their distinct motivations too, and by the end of the novel, I completely understood why Jin was drawn to them both.
The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan
Release month: August
For fans of: unique magic systems, ‘unlikeable’ female characters, dark fairy-tales with a touch of horror, Nettle & Bone
Shean is one of the most talented dollmakers in her country, and she knows it. Once she’s told during her licensing exam that her dolls are meant to be objects of art, rather than protectors of her city against the monsters that killed her family, Shean would do anything to prove the licensor wrong. After a series of bad decisions, she meets Ikiisa, an older dollmaker who has her own demons to conquer and her own trauma to overcome. It was great seeing the two of them grow closer, with Ikiisa taking on a mentor role, since I feel female friendships and mentorship are not something we get enough of in fantasy. I also have to give credit to the worldbuilding in this story: this is a wholly original world and a completely unique magic system, revolving around living dolls fighting against gruesome monsters who attach different materials to themselves as armour – including human bones!
Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright
Release month: August
For fans of: hot vampires, hot morally grey characters, hot political machinations, hot trans rep
Mistress of Lies opens with one of our protagonists, Shan, committing a patricide in order to position herself as the head of her family, which perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the novel. This is a dark fantasy the way it should be done: steeped in political intrigue, featuring messy families, morally grey protagonists, and visceral blood magic. I adored the worldbuilding, following in the best traditions of vampiric fiction but nonetheless twisting familiar tropes in unfamiliar ways. However, the characters are arguably the novel’s greatest strength – I spent the entire story going between loving and hating certain characters, and cheering on people who were, by all accounts, villains. This was what made the romantic subplot particularly strong: take three complicated people with separate, often opposing goals, and push them together in a series of life-and-death situations, and you’ll get the high-tension romance of Mistress of Lies.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Release month: November
For fans of: cosy fantasy that doesn’t shy away from serious topics, relationships centring on friendships rather than romance, found families, Legends & Lattes
Following Tao, a fortune-teller who only tells small, unimportant fortunes – as the big ones are too much trouble – The Teller of Small Fortunes stars a cast of colourful characters as they travel through a landscape reminiscent of a classic fantasy novel, but with a few unexpected twists (just wait until you meet the troll!). I adored Tao herself, with her painted wagon, her practical approach to fortune-telling, her appreciation for tea, and her good heart, and I also fell in love with the rest of the adventuring party: the warrior, the thief, the baker, the cat, and, of course, the mule. The Teller of Small Fortunes is sweet and funny, but without ever turning saccharine, and it tackles serious topics like the feeling of never quite belonging anywhere as an immigrant, dealing with racism and xenophobia, and overcoming past trauma – but without ever losing its sense of humour.
Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova
Release month: June
For fans of: Slavic folklore, flawed main characters, surprisingly human-like monsters and unsurprisingly monstrous people
This is my own book, so I hope you’d forgive me for including it on my “favourite debuts of 2024” list: I can tell you it also features prominently on my “books that cost me the most blood, sweat, and tears” list. Foul Days follows Kosara, a witch who trades her magic to escape her monster-infested city, only to discover her ex, the Tsar of Monsters, is still hunting her. To make matters worse, she soon develops the sickness affecting all magicless witches – and if she doesn’t find a way to get her powers back and defeat the Tsar within the next twelve days, she’ll perish. This is a story inspired by the folklore of my native Bulgaria, and I have attempted to cram in as many of my favourite mythological creatures, myths, legends, and rituals as I possibly could, all served with a dash of dark, Eastern European humour. I had an absolute blast writing this book, so I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy reading it.
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Genoveva Dimova 2022 © Julie Broadfoot www.juliebee.co.uk
Genoveva Dimova is a fantasy author and archaeologist. Originally from Bulgaria, she now lives in Scotland with her partner and a small army of houseplants. She believes in writing what you know, so her work often features Balkan folklore, the immigrant experience, and protagonists who get into incredible messes out of pure stubbornness. When she’s not writing, she likes to explore old ruins, climb even older hills, and listen to practically ancient rock music. Her debut novel, Foul Days, will be published in 2024 with Tor Books.
Find out more over on Genoveva’s website.
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Huge thanks to Genoveva for taking the time to write such a thoughtful, in-depth guest post and provide us with so many fantastic recommendations! I hope you’ve had your TBR lists ready and waiting for all the new additions – as always, mine continues to grow (which, to be fair, I’m very happy about). And roll on June, for the release of Foul Days!
Foul Days is out on the 25th June 2024 from Tor Books – check out the links below to pre-order* your copy:
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