New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on May 13

Geek Girl Authority

12-05-2025

There are a lot of new books coming out every week. With New Release Radar, I'll help you narrow down the week's new book releases into the titles you should get excited about. This week, I have 11 great new books to share with you, including some grimdark fantasies and a few novels that will make you care about high school sports like you never have before. Read on! The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
Brother Diaz arrives in the Sacred City expecting praise and a holy calling. Instead, he's handed a mission fit for monsters. His new congregation includes murderers, heretics, and horrors cloaked in human skin, bound together for a holy task that will demand unholy bloodshed. As elven warbands prowl the borders and corrupt princes rot the realm from within, Diaz must place his faith in something darker than saints.
Joe Abercrombie returns with The Devils , a blood-soaked, darkly hilarious epic that mashes grimdark fantasy with campy horror. This new book release is full of the morally gray characters, sharp action sequences and witty banter that Abercrombie does best.
RELATED: New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out On May 6 Home Has No Borders edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra
From first crushes to first heartbreaks, from tangled family ties to questions of belonging, Home Has No Borders is a vibrant anthology exploring race, class, language, and the many meanings of home. Edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra, it features an impressive lineup of acclaimed South Asian voices in YA, including Samira Ahmed, Nisha Sharma and Fatimah Asghar. This essential collection captures the joys, struggles, and complexity of growing up South Asian today. Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand, illustrated by Tara Anand
All Nitasha's parents want is for her to be the perfect Indian daughter—something she knows she'll never be. She's not her doctor older brother, she doesn't fit in at school, and even her best friend and crush seem to be slipping away. When the pressure becomes too much, Nitasha turns to alcohol, and then to self-harm. Will she ever be enough for her family – or even herself?
Fitting Indian is this powerful graphic novel exploring the weight of expectations, the realities of mental illness and the strength it takes to ask for help. Jyoti Chand and illustrator Tara Anand have created a vital story about pain, healing and the power of being seen.
RELATED: Book Review: Divining the Leaves A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane
Star point guard Mack Morris starts her senior year reeling from two life-changing events: her father's sudden death and the arrival of Liv Cooper, a talented transfer student with whom she shares undeniable chemistry – on and off the court. In their rural, 2004 Pennsylvania town, their deepening connection sparks more than just controversy. As grief, desire and pressure mount, Mack must navigate the volatile space between who she was and who she's becoming. Is she ready to fight for the future she wants, even if it means leaving everything else behind?
A Sharp Endless Need combines sharp, exhilarating sports writing with a raw, heartfelt exploration of grief, identity and the choices that shape us. Marisa Crane's new book release is both a poignant coming-of-age novel and a love letter to basketball, perfect for anyone who has struggled to find their purpose. The Devil Three Times by Rickey Fayne
When Yetunde awakens aboard a slave ship, the only voice she hears is her dead sister's—until the Devil makes her an offer. In exchange for a piece of his power, he will protect her, hoping that saving Yetunde and her descendants might earn him a way back into Heaven. Over the next 175 years, the Devil visits Yetunde's bloodline: conjure women, outcasts, brothers at war, mediums and dreamers, each facing a moment of crisis, each offered a chance at salvation. But as he intervenes in their lives, the Devil must confront his own fate. Can he be redeemed, or is damnation eternal?
In an ambitious debut spanning eight generations, Rickey Fayne has made a name for himself as a new voice in American fiction. Told through vignettes of each family member, The Devil Three Times is perfect for readers who enjoy Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison and Robert Jones, Jr. Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
At art school, Enka is captivated by Mathilde, a brilliant, tormented artist on the brink of fame. As their intense friendship spirals into obsession, Enka will do anything to stay close, even marrying a billionaire whose family's empathy-enhancing tech could let her literally absorb Mathilde's trauma. But as the lines between their minds blur, Enka's fixation leads to disturbing consequences that shape their entire lives.
Ling Ling Huang's new book release is a chilling, genre-bending story of art, identity and the cost of devotion. Immaculate Conception combines the fiercely competitive art world with cutting edge technology, resulting in a reflection of creativity, connection and consciousness.
RELATED: Book Review: Luminous Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam
When castle servant Anji assassinates the king she hated, she sets off a kingdom-wide manhunt. Soon, she's the most wanted fugitive in the kingdom. Pursued by the magical, mask-wearing mercenaries of the Menagerie, she's captured by the Hawk, an aging swordswoman with her own motives for keeping Anji alive just long enough to claim the bounty. As they flee the deadly pursuit of the other mercenaries, their uneasy alliance may shape not only Anji's fate, but that of the entire kingdom.
Gritty, dark fantasy fans will love Evan Leikam's debut. Anji Kills a King is fast-paced and well written, and will leave you hungry for book two. Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala
High schooler Danika Dizon has a knack for solving problems—whether it's through tarot readings or tips picked up from her PI mom and mystery writer dad. But when a classmate disappears after drawing a death card, Danika finds herself in a real investigation, one that could finally prove she's ready to join the family business. With the missing girl's younger sister by her side, Danika uncovers a web of secrets darker than she expected – ones people are desperate to keep buried.
Mia P. Manansala's YA debut has all of the humor (and murder) her fans have come to expect from the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series. Death in the Cards is a cozy mystery perfect for light summer reading.
RELATED: 5 Cozy Mysteries Only Murders in the Building Fans Need to Check Out The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
Doctor Walden may be one of the most powerful magicians in England. She spends her days, however, as Director of Magic at Chetwood Academy, corralling chaotic sixth-formers, attending endless meetings and holding back the demonic forces that threaten the school's ancient wards. She's brilliant, composed, and trusted to keep six hundred students safe. But demons are cunning, and Walden knows all too well the danger they pose – especially when the greatest threat may be the darkness she carries within.
The Incandescent is a unique work of dark academia that examines an often-unseen side of the story: what the teachers are up to. Emily Tesh does a great job of balancing the administrative side of things with a constantly evolving magical mystery.
RELATED: Read Our Full Review of The Incandescent The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
On a rainy summer night in East Gladness, Connecticut, 19-year-old Hai is about to jump from a bridge when a voice calls out from across the river – Grazina, an elderly widow slipping into dementia. Her unexpected intervention changes everything. With nowhere else to turn, Hai becomes Grazina's caretaker, and over the course of a year, the two form a profound bond. As they navigate memory, loss and forgiveness, their connection transforms Hai's understanding of himself, his fractured family and a struggling town on the edge of change.
Ocean Vuong's new book release is a powerful novel about found family, unexpected friendship and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Full of heart and empathy for those on the fringes of society, The Emperor of Gladness will linger with you long after you're done reading. One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller
Grace Woodhouse's senior year is going to be a struggle. After coming out as trans, she lost her friends, her girlfriend and a Division 1 football scholarship. As her last year in high school begins, Grace is navigating the complexities of early transition and finding her footing in new social circles, all while struggling to move on from football. But when her incredible kicking skills become crucial, her old teammates convince her to return to the game. As an opportunity to play college football arises, Grace faces a tough choice: how much of herself is she willing to sacrifice for the sport she loves?
Whether or not you ever did before, One of the Boys will make you care about football and nostalgic for high school. Victoria Zeller's debut is powerful, funny and a perfect underdog story.
You can check out these new book releases at Bookshop.org or your local bookstore. What May 13 new release are you most excited to read? Let us know below, and tune in next week to grow your TBR.
Book Review: A SHARP ENDLESS NEED