Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

 

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. 

Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

Narrowing this list down to ten books was very difficult. There are so many books that I'm anticipating that are coming out between January and June. Many of these books I have ARCS of and cannot wait to read them in the upcoming months. Below this list is an image with many other books I am anticipating for the first half of the year. It is going to be a great year for new releases. 

The East Wind (The Four Winds #4) by Alexandria Warwick would have been on this list but I have already read it. It comes out today. I'm looking forward to getting a copy of it for my collection. 

1. The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia by Leia Ham

            Release Date: May 5th, 2026

    - I absolutely adore Leia's artstyle! She is one of my favorite artists that I follow on Instagram. This books sounds like it is going to be very good and I look forward to seeing Leia's stunning illustrations throughout. It will definitely be one of the books I buy this year. 

 

2. This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint- ARC

            Release Date: June 9th, 2026 

    - Greek Mythology retellings are some of my favorite books. I read Jennifer Saint's Hera which was an interesting take on Hera's story. This Immortal Heart is about the goddess Aphrodite and I'm highly looking forward to reading it. She is usually a secondary character in the Greek Myth retellings and hardly has the focus of stories on her. There are more retellings of her son Eros, than there are of her. I knew I had to read this as soon as I heard it was coming out. Also, I love this cover! 

3. The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham- ARC

            Release Date: June 2nd, 2026 

    - I have been watching Cindy's videos on YouTube for years and I got very excited when I heard her talk about her new book last year. This is a queer young adult retelling of Sleeping Beauty, which deals with characters going into the dreams of the character Briar Rose. It sounds so intriguing and the cover is absolutely stunning! I cannot wait to pick this up. 

 

4. Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher- ARC

            Release Date: March 24th, 2026 

    - T. Kingfisher is my second favorite author right below Terry Pratchett. I will read anything that she writes. Wolf Worm sounds a bit creepier than I normally read, especially with the insects, but I have full confidence I'm going to enjoy it because of her writing style. 

5. Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett- ARC

            Release Date: February 27th, 2026 

    - Last year, I read all of the Emily Wilde series by Heather Walter and fell in love with that world and characters. I knew then that I had to pick up more books by Heather. This books sounds super cozy and I adore cats. 

6. The Great Disillusionment of Nick & Jay by Ryan Douglass- ARC

            Release Date: January 27th, 2026 

    -  The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all-time, so anytime I find a retelling of it, I have to pick it up. This is a queer retelling of the story set in Harlem. I don't know much about it and I'm looking forward to picking it up very soon.  

7. Seasons of Glass & Iron by Amal el-Mohtar 

            Release Date: March 24th, 2026 

   - A short story collection told through letters, diary entries, reference materials, folktales, and lyrical prose. I adore books that are written in different formats. I highly enjoyed Amal el-Mohtar's novella The River Has Roots last year and plan on reading anything she writes. 

 

8. Galahad and the Grail by Malcom Guite- ARC

            Release Date: March 23rd, 2026 

   - The legend of King Arthur has been one of my biggest interests ever since I first watched The Sword in the Stone as a child. This is a book written in verse which follows one of Arthur's most famous knights, Sir Galahad and the other knights on their quest to find the Holy Grail. Galahad is the illegitimate son of Lancelot in many of the stories. It is also stunningly illustrated by Stephen Crotts. 

9. This Wretched Beauty by Elle Grenier- ARC

            Release Date: February 17th, 2026 

   - Another queer retelling of one of my favorite classics, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I'm looking forward to seeing where Elle takes this story that I love with all my heart. 

 

10. The Witch Queen (The Crimson Crown #2) by Heather Walter

            Release Date: June 23rd, 2026

   - I read the first book in this duology in 2024 and adored it. The Crimson Crown was a highly imaginative, twisted, and dark retelling of one of the most famous fairy tales there is, Snow White. I love villain origin stories and Heather has created such a clever take on the "Evil Queen." It is one of my favorite twists I have ever read of the story and I adored the "Snow White" character, Blodwyn. I cannot wait to see where Heather takes the story in the second book. 

Here are many other books that I am anticipating in January- June.  I plan on reading so many of these throughout the year.