Hey bookworm friends. I’m kind of astonished that it’s already summer, and that I’ve been doing these lists for half a year! The time has come to talk about my anticipated releases for July but the list is a bit odd since it will include a miscellaneous category for the first time. I kind of hate it because it feels messy but there are a few one-off books that don’t fit into any of the categories or genres I read a lot of. And yet I really want to read them.
Here are 18 July Releases to Sink Your Teeth Into This Summer . As always, organized loosely by genre categories and then by publishing date.
Book Titles lead to TheStoryGraph links. Except for when it’s not on SG in which case it goes to bookshop.org.
July Releases to Sink Your Teeth Into This Summer
Fantasy
The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen
⟡ Pub Date: July 7, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Cozy Fantasy
⟡ Publisher: Del Rey
BEHIND EVERY HERO, THERE’S A HISTORIAN.
An ambitious young scholar is sent to research the mysteries of an adventurer’s inn – only to uncover a centuries-old secret.
The Eye of Leviathan by M. A. Carrick
⟡ Pub Date: July 14, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Historical Fantasy
⟡ Publisher: Orbit
In an alternate Spanish Golden Age, the Council of the Sea Beyond has risen to unrivaled power, exploiting the Otherworld’s most precious resources for their own gain. Estevan seeks to uncover their secrets, but he risks the exposure of his own: that he is a faerie, masquerading as a mortal.
Unpredictable Magic by Faith Hunter
⟡ Pub Date: July 14 , 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Urban Fantansy
⟡ Publisher: Ace
Witches Angelina and Evan Everhart-Trueblood take a case that spirals out of control until the whole city is at risk. Their new client is not who she appears to be The client is not who she appears to be, and demons strike the city for the first time since the Demon War.
The Witch Below The Dreaming Wood by H. G. Parry
⟡ Pub Date: July 21, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Historical Fantasy/ Arthurian Myth
⟡ Publisher: Redhook
Wales, 1941. As the second world war ravages the globe and bombs fall from the sky, people all over the world begin to dream of King Arthur. The dreams spread like a fantastical plague, flooding people’s sleep night after night.
Henry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Laine
⟡ Pub Date: July 21, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Historical Fantasy
⟡ Publisher: Berkley
One queen exiled. Another headed for the gallows. Both hungry for revenge. England’s most infamous queens set out to reclaim their story and unite in vengeance against Henry VIII.
The Heart of Hornwood by Josiah D. Blizzard
⟡ Pub Date: July 21, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Fantasy
⟡ Publisher: Josiah Blizzard/ Self Pub
Eloise has spent her entire meaningless existence in the small town of Jyra under the Empire’s rule, reading the same old books, working the same job, and concealing her powerful magic from the town elders who wouldn’t hesitate to exile, enslave, or execute her if they ever learned the truth of what she was: a weaver capable of manipulating the threads that bind the world together.
Science Fiction
Moss’d In Space by Rebecca Thorne
⟡ Pub Date: July 7, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Cozy Sci-Fi
⟡ Publisher: Bramble
Torian Razner finally bought a starship. Sure, the alien starship may have been abandoned for a century, and it may be covered in moss now… but it’s Torian’s ticket to freedom.
A Planet Called Happy by Riley August
⟡ Pub Date: July 26, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Science Fiction
⟡ Publisher: Penguin
Ellis appears to have it all – a great job, a loving girlfriend, and a loyal dog – yet each morning he wakes up feeling that something is missing. In a desperate quest for true happiness, he boards a luxury shuttle to Planet Happy, a hedonistic paradise where guests seek the elusive ‘Happiness X’, the trademarked secret to instant joy.
The Red Woman on Mars by Claire Barner
⟡ Pub Date: July 28, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Science Fiction / Speculative Romance / Retelling
⟡ Publisher: Diversion Books
Vivian Bowen left Earth for Mars, seeking safety and a fresh start after seven long years trapped in a climate refugee camp. She’s determined to fulfill her contract as a Red Mother by selecting a Martian partner and bearing genetically modified children to fund her family’s survival back on Earth.
The Demon Star by Jesse Aragon
⟡ Pub Date: July 28, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Science Fantasy
⟡ Publisher: DAW
Ysira Naktis was a human sacrifice, marked for death. Unlike the thousands ‘harvested’ each year, though, she did the unthinkable. She survived—and what she brought back with her could change the fate of worlds.
The Wayward Souls of Avalon by A. L. Davisdon
⟡ Pub Date: July 28, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Cozy Sci-Fi
⟡ Publisher: Dragon Bone Publishing
After the collapse of Earth sends the last of humanity soaring to Mars, documentarian Jocasta Thorne finds himself trapped in his spaceship on the outskirts of the planet’s orbit. Nearly giving up hope of ever seeing another human again, Jocasta’s quiet life is disrupted when a knock at the bay door breaks through the silence, and the stranger on the other side promises he can get them home.
Horror
Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle
⟡ Pub Date: July 7, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Horror/ Thriller
⟡ Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Fashion influencer by day and grave-robber by night, Poppy Stringer is on call when Eddie Michaels—a flamboyant, piano-slamming rockstar and queer icon—unexpectedly dies. All Poppy has to do is retrieve Eddie’s body from the medical examiner’s office, but what starts as a routine delivery quickly goes off course when Eddie wakes up.
The Red Sacrament by Sara Hinkley
⟡ Pub Date: July 7, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Gothic Horror/ Historical
⟡ Publisher: Titan Books
Paris, 1869. The Théâtre Saint-Siméon is the place to be, if you can get in. The black slips of paper that guarantee entry are rare and highly desired, and given only to certain persons. The actors on stage are magnetic and ageless, performing only at midnight and never seen during the day…
The Sea Hides Its Dead by Megan Bontrager
⟡ Pub Date: July 14, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Horror/ Science Fiction
⟡ Publisher: Run For It
A cult aquatic horror about a group of academics trapped in a sea cave who must reckon with eldritch horrors as they are forced to atone for their greatest sins.
A Penance for Crows by Shannon Morgan
⟡ Pub Date: July 28, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Gothic Horror/ Mystery
⟡ Publisher: Kensington
Grizela Urquhart flees to Beanna Dubh, a remote Irish island, seeking sanctuary from brutal bullying in her native Glasgow.
40 years on, Grizela still remains an outsider—the eccentric painter viewed with distrust and barely tolerated. The feelings are mutual, for she has discovered there are as many secrets on Beanna Dubh as there are crows.
Miscellaneous
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves
⟡ Pub Date: July 7, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Lit Fic/ Contemporary/ Magical Realism
⟡ Publisher: Avid Reader Press
Travis is Death in the modern world. His job is to offer people comfort in their final hours of life. He’s stoic, gentle, and a little naive, despite everything he knows.
Then he meets Dalia, a midwife, and her boisterous eight-year-old daughter Layla, who live across the hall.
Ladies of the Knight by Fiona Marchbank
⟡ Pub Date: July 14, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Historical Fiction/ Alternate History
⟡ Publisher: Oni Press
In a land where glamorous knights compete in showy tournaments for fame and fortune, George wants to be the best. Being small and untrained means no knight will give her a coveted spot as their squire, but George won’t give up on her dreams so easily.
How Lucky Am I by Christian Watson
⟡ Pub Date: July 28, 2026
⟡ Sub-genre: Comics/ Cozy/ Art Book
⟡ Publisher: Ebury Digital
Join beloved Mr Skelly, a gentle skeleton wandering across lush landscapes and treacherous terrains, through times of joy, loss, grief and love, to find his family and – ultimately – a safe home.
Link-ups
BookWorms Monthly is hosted by Anne @ At Home A Lot
A Good Book & Cup of Tea is hosted by Lisa R. Howeler @ Boondocks Ramblings, Erin @ Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs, & Cat @ Cat’s Wire
Happy reading!🖤
I did my best to list the expected pub dates but you never know, dates can change. If you’re interested in any of these releases please make sure you keep an eye on the latest updates in your part of the world.
Let’s chat in the comments!
Are you looking forward to any of these? Or, did I miss any that you would add to the list?
I’m really looking forward to The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood, since it sounds like it does interesting things with Arthuriana…
I don’t know how people manage to keep so up to date with what’s coming out, I’m terrible at it, haha.