1. Circe by Madeline Miller

In the house of Helios, god of the sun, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft. When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to a remote island. There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe’s independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike.

This is the highly anticipated novel from the Orange Prize-winning author of the brilliant novel The Song of Achilles, and is inspired by Homer’s Odyssey.

Release date: 19th April

2. Folk by Zoe Gilbert

The remote island village of Neverness is a world away from our time and place. The villagers’ lives are inseparable from nature and its enchantments. As the tales of this island community interweave over the course of a generation, their desires, resentments, idle gossip and painful losses come to life.

This debut novel is highly anticipated and has been called ‘as delightful and dark as the collected Brothers Grimm’ by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan. It sounds magical and disturbing in equal measure.

Release date: 8th March

3. The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

The court of the Grand Prince of Moscow is plagued by power struggles and rumours of unrest, while bandits roam the countryside. Setting out to defeat the raiders, the Prince comes across a young man riding a magnificent horse. Only Sasha, a priest with a warrior’s training, recognises this ‘boy’ as his younger sister, Vasya.

This novel is the sequel to one of my favourite books of 2017, The Bear and the Nightingale. I’m hoping The Girl in the Tower is full of the same wonderful magic, atmosphere and lyrical writing.

Release date: 25th January

4. The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse

Carcassonne, 1562. As the Wars of Religion begin to take hold, 19-year-old Catholic Minou Joubert and Huguenot convert Piet Reydon find themselves in possession of a priceless treasure. Together, they set out on a quest to uncover a long buried secret.

I love Kate Mosse’s novels (particularly her Languedoc trilogy which begins with Labyrinth) and her next book is the first in a highly anticipated historical trilogy.

Release date: 3rd May

5. The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

None of us ever agreed on the exact beginning. Was it when we started drawing the chalk figures, or when they started to appear on their own? Was it the terrible accident? Or when they found the first body?

This book has been called – rather ambitiously – THE book of 2018. Only time will tell if it lives up to that promise.

Release date: 11th January

6. Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

We don’t have a blurb yet for fantasy author V.E. Schwab’s next novel, but we do know it’s a sequel to her 2014 novel Vicious, a novel about two college roommates whose shared interest in near-death experiences and supernatural events leads them both down a dark path. Originally thought to be a standalone novel, Vicious is a fantastic story exploring themes of ambition, power and revenge, and I can’t wait to return to these characters.

Release date: September

7. The Corset by Laura Purcell

We don’t have a blurb yet for this one either, but the second novel from Laura Purcell (author of 2017’s highly acclaimed The Silent Companions) is also set in the Victorian period and Purcell has described it as ‘ghostly’ and ‘spooky’.

Release date: April

8. The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Among the bustling markets of 18th century Cairo, the city’s outcasts eke out a living swindling rich Ottoman nobles. But alongside this new world the old stories linger. Tales of djinn and spirits. Of cities hidden among the swirling sands of the desert. Nahri knows the trades she uses to get by are just tricks and sleights of hand: there’s nothing magical about them. She only wishes to one day leave Cairo, but as the saying goes… be careful what you wish for.

This debut fantasy novel has been called ‘stunning and complex and consuming and fantastic’ by bestselling author Sabaa Tahir, and promises to be one of the most anticipated novels of 2018.

Release date: 8th March

9. The Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

We don’t have a blurb or even a firm release date for this one but we know it should be released in 2018. The second novel in Laini Taylor’s duology which began with Strange the Dreamer in 2017 is likely to contain just as much magic, mythology and adventure as the first. Although I had mixed feelings about Strange the Dreamer, I’m still very much looking forward to the sequel.

Release date: 2018

10. Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss

Fans have been waiting for the third book in this epic fantasy series since 2011, when The Wise Man’s Fear was released, following four years after the first in the series, The Name of the Wind. There have been some hints that 2018 will be the year we finally get to read Doors of Stone. I’ll be one of many keeping my fingers crossed that that’s true.

Release date: Unknown