There are quite a few retellings coming out this month that I am really excited for! Ann Liang’s new book is also coming out at the end of the month, and I am really looking forward to it!

Here are some of the books I am most looking forward to being released:

Once Upon a Bear by Gabrielle Landi- releasing October 1

An illegal herbwitch, a man turned bear, and the curse keeping them apart. Guinevere has spent years hiding her illegal magic, healing on the sly with enhanced salves and tonics. Life in her tiny cottage making potions by firelight is quiet and lonely, but it keeps her safe…even if it’s hard to buy food sometimes. Gideon Rendon is tired of being a bear, but with silence woven into his curse and anyone who sees him trying to kill him, he’s run out of hope. When Guinevere discovers his secret, he begins to feel hope for the first time in years–but the curse is taking over, and he’s spending more and more time as a bear.As Guinevere stitches his wounds, helps with his brother’s injury, and attempts to break his curse before he loses his humanity, the line between healer and patient begins to blur. But with Gideon’s noble family and Guinevere’s dangerous secret between them, falling in love might be a risk neither of them can afford. Once Upon A Bear is a cozy fantasy romance inspired by the Goldilocks fairy tale, full of grumpy sunshine vibes and wound tending, and the fifth book in the Galamere Chronicles. Each standalone, young adult romance is a clean and wholesome retelling of a beloved story or fairytale, with the swoon-worthy sweet romance of a Hallmark movie, the wholesome and heartwarming feeling of cozy fantasy, and the comfort of a found family of friends, with a sprinkling of danger and a dash of magic.

A Fable of Riddles and Redemption by Sara Farnsworth- releasing October 3

Quest objective: To hide from the past, to seek redemption, and to solve the riddles plaguing the city. In need of a fresh start, Zorina settles into a new life as an assistant shopkeeper. This supposedly simple existence quickly becomes complicated as unwanted attention continues to fall on her—and as young women start to mysteriously disappear. Keeping her past hidden in light of this new scrutiny proves increasingly difficult, and she dreads the moment when all of her secrets will be revealed. Former huntsman Herrick works as a city guard to keep the peace and to escape from his sordid past. He hopes that patrolling the city and investigating its strange mysteries—from the ridiculous to the haunting—will help him atone for his past mistakes. But secrets can only stay hidden for so long—especially when evil lurks in the shadows, seeking to destroy the tenuous peace they’ve found. Armed with a sword, a magically unlimited pouch, and a pottery-smashing red panda, Herrick and Zorina must learn to work together to stave off the encroaching darkness. As the truth reveals puzzles from the past, Herrick and Zorina begin to trust and rely on each other—and maybe even start to heal their damaged hearts.

Wondrous by Heather Fawcett- releasing October 6

Now eighteen, Alice feels much more comfortable spending her days in Wonderland than in the “real” world. After all, no one in Wonderland will judge you for being strange! But things in Wonderland have seemed off lately, especially when Alice encounters another teen, and then another . . . both of whom also claim to be named Alice. Before long, card soldiers capture all three Alices, and they are taken to the Queen of Hearts’ castle, where a strange truth is it has been prophesied that a “blue Alice” would one day save Wonderland from terrible peril. Ever since, the White Rabbit has been opening portals to Wonderland for children dressed in blue named Alice. And now, the foretold danger has three terrifying dragons have appeared in Wonderland, from the worlds beyond the doors in Doorknob’s hallway. The Queen declares that the Alice who can save Wonderland will be named “The Alice” . . . and the others will be cast out, never allowed to return. So Alice sets out on a quest to save the land she loves, meeting new friends and enemies along the way, including a strange boy who she isn’t sure she can trust. Is Alice truly “The Alice,” or is she just a footnote in someone else’s story?

A Fable of Guardians and Glory by Beth Alvarez- releasing October 10

Quest objective: Reach the Abyss, find the rogue mages, and end the war. Tempest doesn’t belong on the battlefield. As the general’s daughter, she should be perched safely in the Bastion, watching the world at war. But the monsters flowing from the Abyss already destroyed her family, and she refuses to lose anyone else. Her strange magic promises an end to the conflict, if she can just reach the bottom of the Abyss and set her power free. Seiche knows nothing but the mines and the war they fuel. As a digger, his only concern should be locating ley lines to sustain the Bastion’s magic-powered weapons. But he’s a soldier, too, and when Tempest’s unexpected presence on the battlefield sends things sideways, he’s bound by duty and honor to protect her—and when they’re cut off from the rest of the army, her mission may get them both killed. Their one chance at survival is the only thing that will end the to reach the bottom before the next blood moon, when the next wave of monsters spawn. Yet as they venture into the Abyss and battle their growing attraction, they uncover one truth about the rogue mages and the mana-beasts they command…
Everyone is lying, and one wrong move might end them all.

A Fable of Truth and Treason by Crystal Frost- releasing October 17

Quest Objective: Survive the Isle, convince Enforcer Bastien to join her, and fix the glitch.
There were two simple truths that Elowyn was raised to believe: Life is measured, marked, and guided by The Loom, and to disobey is treason. With a glowing crown shimmering in the corner of her vision interface, Elowyn’s place in the Ascendant Track was guaranteed.
Until the system lied.
Branded an Exile and sentenced to the deadly Shattered Isle, a prison from which no one returns, Elowyn’s perfect future is ripped away. Now, her only goals are to survive the monsters that prowl the isle and find a way back home to expose the corruption that sent her there.
Bastien has never questioned The Loom. Tasked with escorting exiles to their final destination alongside his vicious horned fox hound, Nyxen, he expects this mission to be no different. But when the golden girl he was sent to abandon begins awakening something dangerous in both him and his beast, his loyalty to the system begins to fracture.
With monsters closing in, hidden truths surfacing, a broken interface, and an impossible bond forming, Elowyn and Bastien stand at the edge of rebellion. They must decide whether to fix The Loom… or break it entirely.

Twisted Vows by I.V. Marie- releasing October 20

She’d hate him for the rest of eternity. She’d hate him until the very end. When Wren Loughty finds herself dropped outside the gates of Blackwood Academy, the infamous magical boarding school located on the fringes of the afterlife, she quickly realizes that she’s dead. Worse, she’s stuck between life and death, eternally tasked with learning the magical skills required to guide lost souls to the Other Side. And her first assignment? A class project with the boy known as the notorious “Demon of Blackwood,” Augustine Hughes. August doesn’t do friends. He has his own reasons for wanting to get close to the new girl…reasons that are quickly becoming more complicated the more time he spends with her. As Wren and August navigate the darkly enchanting Blackwood campus and their cutthroat fellow students, an undeniable connection grows between them. But some connections can be twisted. And some betrayals can’t be undone.

A Dragon Missing by Abigail Manning- releasing October 23

A missing sister. A cursed captain. And a dragon trying to un-bond herself. Lilith has always run from fear, but when her sister vanishes without a trace, she’ll do anything it takes to find her again—even if it means sneaking onto a pirate ship. Kadir knows he’s cursed. It’s the only explanation for the fact that everyone who trusts him ends up dead, and he refuses to add one more name to that list. But as Lily’s search uncovers the truth behind her sister’s disappearance, it also reveals another attack that Kadir cannot ignore and an enemy neither he nor Lilith can face alone. Lilith’s dragon hates her, Kadir is haunted by guilt, and neither of them likes to trust others. But if they can’t work together, they will both lose the people most precious to them. And like every good romantasy, the journey they take exposes their deepest fears and feelings neither can afford to indulge. Can they truly protect their own hearts without hurting the other’s? Some disappearances are no accident. And some loves are worth sailing into darkness for.

Fit For a Throne by Abigail Manning- releasing October 23

The throne has been claimed, can she escape its shadow? Diaspro has more than proven herself a threat to the king of Aemastia, and threats don’t stay unchained for long. After the grand finale of the bride competition, fleeing is her only option, but escaping Aemastia is easier said than done. Tossed back into the same prison cell she was gifted upon her initial arrival, Diaspro and her companions have only one hope left– escape to Ivalon, and seek help from whoever is left. Rumors of the kingdom’s mysterious guardian fuels their escape, but not without loss. The king will stop at nothing to have Diaspro back behind bars, including toying with the life of the only love she has left. Escaping the prison is hardly enough when everywhere she steps is a new trap. Friends, foes, and magic rings have bound the fate of both kingdoms, knotting it all together around a curious vault and its guardian. Prison escapes, hidden troves of magic, a love worth fighting for, and a final masquerade set the scene for one final battle for the throne. Will Diaspro be fit for a crown? Or will she be the one forced to bow?

For Ever More by Sue Lynn Tan- releasing October 27

After the explosive events of Never Ever After, Yining flees the Iron Mountains with her unlikely allies, seeking the truth about her newfound powers amid the secrets surrounding her ancestral home. But with a traitorous queen ruling the Three Kingdoms from a stolen throne, nowhere is truly safe, and Yining must decide whom to trust to keep her family—and her heart—from harm.

To Dream in Darkness by Ann Liang- releasing October 27

China in the age of brilliance, where gods freely wander the three realms. Amongst them is the cruel and beautiful Death God, who has never failed to collect a soul on time. Until now. For when he seeks out Rujia, the noble god of healing―and the only god he is fated to kill with his own hands―she makes him an offer he can’t refuse: she will help lift the excruciating, century-old curse placed upon him if he gives her a one-month reprieve. Rujia knows she isn’t as noble as everyone believes. Her deal with Death is merely an excuse to buy herself time while she figures out an escape plan. But when her plan causes the Celestial Palace’s collapse and the beloved crown prince’s disappearance, she and Death are both held responsible. The only way to avoid the wrath of all the other gods is to travel across the realms and safely retrieve the crown prince themselves. Yet the journey proves far more treacherous than expected. As the unlikely alliance between them blooms into more, and Death’s resolve to kill Rujia weakens by the day, neither can outrun their intertwined fate without devastating consequences: A mysterious plague. An empire-destroying flood. A thousand deaths―and rising―to restore the balance Rujia’s disrupted. And if Rujia continues to live despite the will of the Heavens, this is only the beginning…

What books are you most looking forward to being released in October?