Summer 2026 is set to deliver some of the year’s most highly anticipated fantasy books, making it the perfect time to add a few new titles to your TBR list. Generously, Goodreads has shared its data with Screen Rant on what readers are most excited to read this summer, based on its members’ reading data.
As the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations, Goodreads offers several unique features, including “Goodreads members’ shelves,” the virtual bookshelves users create to organize and track the books on their accounts. The three default shelves include Want to Read, Currently Reading, and Read.
Using this shelving data, Goodreads determined the most anticipated fantasy books by tracking how often titles were added to members’ “Want to Read” shelves. Below are ten of the most anticipated fantasy books according to Goodreads members, presented in descending order. For the purposes of this list, “summer” refers to books released between May and August.
Readers should note that Goodreads’ most anticipated lists are constantly evolving. Rankings shift based on what users continue adding to their Want to Read shelves and how readers rate books after finishing them. Books that have already been released often trend higher, though upcoming titles from major authors and installments in popular series also tend to climb the rankings quickly.
Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim
Publishing July 28, 2026
Fishbone Cinderella book cover-1
Fishbone Cinderella is perhaps the most eye-catching title on this list, and if the name alone doesn’t grab readers’ attention, the story’s premise likely will. Written by Elizabeth Lim, Fishbone Cinderella blends fantasy and historical fiction, transporting readers to 1940 Guangdong.
The novel follows a young girl named Ha Yut Ying, who discovers she possesses magical abilities after narrowly escaping Japanese soldiers by turning invisible. Knowing this newfound power could put her in danger, Ha Yut Ying keeps her magic a secret, especially after her mother warns her about their family’s curse. To protect her, her mother gives her a special gold bracelet with links shaped like fishbones.
However, this is only the beginning of her story. After the war, Ha Yut Ying is sent to live with her wealthy father in Hong Kong, where she endures cruelty from her jealous stepmother. Her life then takes another dramatic turn when she loses the bracelet and meets Tommy Yeung, a chance encounter that changes both of their destinies forever.
We Dance Upon Demons by Vaishnavi Patel
Published May 12, 2026
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We Dance Upon Demons is a perfect pick for readers who enjoy a touch of horror mixed with their fantasy. From Vaishnavi Patel, the New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi (a feminist retelling of the Hindu epic Ramayana), comes a brand-new standalone contemporary fantasy.
Released on May 12, We Dance Upon Demons follows a burned-out reproductive health care worker who finds herself fighting back against escalating attacks on her clinic while also confronting the malevolent forces pursuing her newfound power. The novel has already been well received by readers and currently holds an average rating of about 4.18 stars on Goodreads, suggesting it’s living up to early expectations.
Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw
Publishing July 7, 2026
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The second adult novel from New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, Habits of the Sea, is set to release on July 7, 2026, and is an ideal pick for readers who enjoy fantasy blended with magical realism and romance. The story follows a woman who rediscovers a mysterious island she first encountered when she was twelve, along with the enigmatic man she met there.
That man, Clay Lockhart, has not aged in the thirty years since Ellie Mills first saw him. This results in a story where Ellie is forced to confront an impossible choice between the life she’s built and a love that defies the laws of time and nature. As the novel’s description teases, “Spanning centuries and coastlines, Habits of the Sea is a haunting, romantic journey through time, memory, and the invisible tides that pull us home.”
Cannon by Paige Lewis
Publishing May 19, 2026
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Readers looking for a fantasy read with LGBTQ+ repersentation should mark their calendars for the May 19, 2026, release of Canon by Paige Lewis. The upcoming novel has already drawn major praise, with John Green (best known for The Fault in Our Stars) calling it “a scorchingly brilliant, wildly funny, and deeply moving epic.”
The story follows Yara, who is cast out by their family and unexpectedly chosen by God to kill Dominic, the ruthless leader of the Bad Guys. At the same time, an ambitious prophet named Adrena sets out on her own quest for divine glory and approval. As their separate journeys unfold, the two are gradually drawn together, leading to dangerous adventures and powerful revelations about life, death, and destiny.
A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett
Publishing August 11, 2026
A Trade in Blood book cover-1
A Trade of Blood, the third installment in Shadow of the Leviathan, is one of the most anticipated fantasy releases of the summer, set to publish on August 11, 2026. The novel continues the story of Ana and Din, the central duo of a series whose previous entries have both earned nominations for Goodreads’ Readers’ Favorite Fantasy awards in 2024 and 2025.
“Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.”
Book one, The Tainted Cup, currently holds an impressive 4.29-star average rating on Goodreads, while book two, A Drop of Corruption, surpasses it with an even stronger 4.47-star average. With that momentum behind the series, expectations are high that A Trade of Blood will continue the blend of fantasy and mystery that has made the saga so widely praised.
The Children by Melissa Albert
Publishing June 2, 2026
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If you love contemporary fantasy that blends horror, mystery, and magical realism, you’ll want to mark your calendar for June 2, 2026, the expected release date of The Children by Melissa Albert. This haunting new adult novel follows the estranged adult children of a legendary author who are written into their late mother’s beloved fantasy series, where they must “confront the vine-like creep of legacy, memory, and magic.”
A partial excerpt from the official synopsis of The Children gives readers a strong sense of the atmosphere and tone they can expect when diving into this upcoming release:
Wise to the mythic weight childhood memories gather over time, The Children whispers to you from the hallway outside your bedroom, lights flickering as you turn the pages of a book that didn’t seem so scary a moment ago. It’s a story for anyone who’s ever revisited an old favorite and found it cast in a darker light, the line separating magic and memory blurring as the gap widens between the authors we imagined and the people they turn out to be.
This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint
Publishing June 9, 2026
This Immortal Heart book cover-1
Fans of Madeline Miller’s bestselling Circeand The Song of Achilles, as well as readers who enjoy sweeping retellings of Greek mythology, won’t want to miss the upcoming June 9, 2026, release of international bestselling author Jennifer Saint’s This Immortal Heart. The novel promises an epic retelling of the romance between Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Ares, the god of war.
Jennifer Saint is the internationally bestselling author of Ariadne and Hera.
This Immortal Heart follows Aphrodite as she is forced to reconcile her mind and heart when she is drawn, against all odds, to Ares. As their love affair spans dozens of mortal lifetimes, Aphrodite begins to question the gods’ games and her own role within them. However, their relationship may ultimately lead to ruin, as Aphrodite is forced to test her devotion to her divine purpose.
The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean
Published May 5, 2026
The Girl with a Thousand Faces book cover-1
Now available to read is USA Today bestselling author Sunyi Dean’s The Girl with a Thousand Faces, an adult fantasy-horror novel that blends historical fiction, myth, and gothic atmosphere into a haunting story set in historical Hong Kong. Drawing on ancient legends and local folklore, the novel explores ghosts, grief, and women who refuse to forget or forgive.
The Girl with a Thousand Faces specifically follows Mercy Chan, who survives World War II by hiding in Kowloon Walled City before becoming a ghost-talker for the triad. When a powerful spirit begins killing in the waterways and claims to know her forgotten past, Mercy is pulled into a deadly mystery tied to her lost childhood. Released on May 5, 2026, the novel currently holds an impressive 4.23-star average rating on Goodreads, suggesting it is already living up to its early hype.
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
Publishing June 2, 2026
Th Unicorn Hunters Katherine Arden cover
The Unicorn Hunters is an immediately intriguing title, making it no surprise that it has become one of the most anticipated fantasy releases of the summer. Furthermore, the novel comes from New York Times bestselling author Katherine Arden, best known for The Winternight Trilogy and The Warm Hands of Ghosts.
Set for release on June 2, 2026, The Unicorn Hunters is a historical fantasy following Anne, a princess of Brittany, who leads her court into a hidden forest under the guise of a unicorn hunt while secretly arranging a marriage meant to save her kingdom. But when a real unicorn appears, and a mysterious stranger emerges from the woods, Anne is pulled into a world of enchantment where she must fight to change her fate or risk losing everything. Based on this teaser, it’s clear that the premise is just as intriguing as the book’s title.
The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty
Published May 12, 2026
The Tapestry of Fate cover
Currently holding the top spot for the most additions to Goodreads members’ Want to Read shelves is The Tapestry of Fate, the second installment in the Amina al-Sirafi series by New York Times bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty. The novel follows pirate Amina al-Sirafi on a new adventure, where her search for powerful magical artifacts leads her to the island lair of a sorceress whose woven enchantments make escape nearly impossible.
This adult fantasy blends high-seas adventure with pirate lore and is already earning strong early buzz, currently holding an impressive 4.47-star average rating on Goodreads. However, readers may want to start with the first book, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, which was nominated in 2023 for Goodreads’ Readers’ Favorite Fantasy award.
So, which most anticipated summer fantasy release will you be picking up first?
