Top new sci-fi books in May 2025
Last updated:
May 31, 2025
May 2025 featuring new releases by Victoria Aveline, Adam Silvera, Anthony Horowitz, Carl Hiaasen, Catherine Chidgey, Cary Hite, Richard Poe, Mia Sheridan, Neon Yang, Mira Grant, Madeleine Thien and many more.
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Bewitching Rhaego by Victoria Aveline
Catching the bewitching beauty was easy. Keeping her? That’ll be more challenging…Being kidnapped by aliens was bad enough. But participating in a contest where she’s chased down (quite literally) and forced to marry the demon who caught her? That was a nightmare. Or so Aurora thought...romance · aliens · sci-fi · monsters · steamy · slow-burn · marriage-of-convenience · fated-mates · fantasy · paranormal -
The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
In this third book of the USA Today and #1 New York Times mega-bestselling They Both Die at the End series, two strangers—each with their own complicated relationship to Death-Cast—help each other learn to live.Paz Dario stays up every night, waiting for the Death-Cast call that would mean he doesn’t have to keep faking his way through this lonely life...romance · young-adult · lgbtq · fiction · contemporary · fantasy · sci-fi · audiobook · sad · dystopia -
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Murder links past and present once again in this mind-boggling metafictional mystery from Anthony Horowitz—another tribute to the golden age of Agatha Christie featuring detective Atticus Pund and editor Susan Ryland, stars of the New York Times bestsellers Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders...mystery · fiction · audiobook · crime · law-enforcement · contemporary · cozy · murder · killer · historical-fiction -
Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen
Another instant classic from Carl Hiaasen—laugh-out-loud funny, tackling the current chaotic and polarized American culture (following in the path of Squeeze Me), with two wonderful new Hiaasen heroes“The afternoon of September first, dishwater-gray and rainy, a man named Dale Figgo picked up a hitchhiker on Gus Grissom Boulevard in Tangelo Falls, Florida...north-america · usa · florida · fiction · mystery · humor · audiobook · contemporary · crime · comedy -
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey
In an alternate world where nobody won WWII, three brothers are the only boys left in an orphanage whose dark secret is the reason for their existence—and the key to their survival—from the acclaimed author of Pet.After a very different outcome to WWII than the one history recorded, 1979 England is a country ruled by a government whose aims have sinister underpinnings and alliances...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · fiction · historical-fiction · dystopia · mystery · sci-fi · literary-fiction -
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Better Luck Next Time by Cary Hite, Richard Poe, Maria McCann, Josh Hurley
Two frenemies find a surprising second chance in this timeslip rom-com, starring Mae Whitman ( Parenthood ), Colin Woodell ( The Flight Attendant ), and a full cast.Mona and Duncan used to be best friends. Now they can’t stand each other. Too bad that’s not a good enough excuse to miss their two families’ annual trip to the cabin...romance · audiobook · time-travel · contemporary · fiction · friends-to-lovers · enemies-to-lovers · sci-fi · fantasy · womens-fiction -
Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan
For a limited time only. From mega-bestseller and TikTok sensation Mia Sheridan comes an all-new epic second-chance romance with an unexpected and gritty speculative twist, in deluxe paperback with beautiful sprayed edges and foil detail...romance · contemporary · friends-to-lovers · fiction · dystopia · enemies-to-lovers · survival · slow-burn · apocalyptic · bodyguard -
Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang
A new Queer, Asian-inspired fantasy novella about a renowned dragon slayer who never takes her armor off in public, Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame reads like She Who Became the Sun meets The Mandalorian, with dragons!The fiercely independent nation of Quanbao is isolated, reclusive, and something of a mystery to the rest of the world... -
Overgrowth by Mira Grant
Annihilation meets Day of the Triffids in this full-on body horror/alien invasion apocalypse.This is just a story. It can't hurt you anymore.Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her...horror · sci-fi · fiction · fantasy · aliens · dystopia · apocalyptic · survival · invasion · first-contact -
The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien
A novel that leaps across centuries past and future, as if different eras were separated by only a door.Lina and her father have arrived at an enclave called The Sea, a staging-post between migrations, with only a few possessions. In this mysterious and shape-shifting place, a building made of time, pasts and futures collide... -
Cavalier's Gambit 2 by William D. Arand
Wayne dreamed of piloting a thirty-foot-tall walking robot that was closer to a battle-tank than anything else.They were called Walkers.They were armed with laser cannons, rockets, missiles, and heavy kinetic weapons more similar to artillery pieces than guns, and everything that went with that.Unfortunately, he had been declined military service...harem · sci-fi · audiobook · space-opera · military · fiction · action-adventure · young-adult · violent-conflict · book -
Costumes for Time Travelers by A.R. Capetta
Calisto and Fawkes are drawn to each other for the first time, again, as they travel from when to when to take on a threat to all they hold dear in this lyrical and playful fantasy from award-winning author A. R. Capetta.Anyone who has hiked through time knows the town of Pocket...romance · fantasy · time-travel · young-adult · lgbtq · sci-fi · fiction · audiobook · cozy · action-adventure -
Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
When her grown daughter is suspected of murder, a charming and tenacious widow digs into the case to unmask the real killer in this twisty, page-turning whodunnit—the first book in a cozy new detective series from the acclaimed author of Ayesha at Last...north-america · canada · urban · mystery · cozy · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · crime · family -
The Country Under Heaven by Frederic S. Durbin
Louis L’Amour meets H.P. Lovecraft in this thrilling western epic about a former Civil War soldier following enigmatic visions that started coming to him after he survived one of the war's bloodiest battles . . .Set in the 1880s, the story follows Ovid Vesper, a former Union soldier who has been having enigmatic visions after an explosion at the Battle of Antietam...horror · fantasy · western · historical-fiction · fiction · sci-fi · historical · action-adventure · cosmic-horror · civil-war -
Star Wars: Mist Encounter by Timothy Zahn
Mist Encounter is a short story written by Timothy Zahn and illustrated by Doug Shuler, originally published in Star Wars Adventure Journal 7 by West End Games in August 1995... -
Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong
Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth installment in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's gripping Rip Through Time Novels.After slipping 150 years into the past, modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has embraced her new life in Victorian Scotland as housemaid Catriona Mitchel...romance · mystery · historical-fiction · time-travel · historical · fiction · fantasy · law-enforcement · paranormal · suspense -
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
What if you could enter the mind of the person you love the most? Enka meets Mathilde in art school and is instantly drawn to her. Mathilde makes art that feels truly original, and Enka—trying hard to prove herself in this fiercely competitive world—pours everything into their friendship...horror · fiction · sci-fi · literary-fiction · audiobook · dystopia · contemporary · fantasy · mystery · friendship -
Bound to the Marak by Callia Silver
Leonie never expected her quiet life as a nurse in London to end with her being abducted by aliens and sold at an intergalactic auction. But when a masked figure shatters the frenzy with a single word and claims her as his own, everything changes.She’s taken aboard his ship, given luxurious quarters—and watched. Touched only with care, but owned completely. He speaks in a strange, lyrical tongue...romance · aliens · sci-fi · paranormal · fiction · monsters · kidnapping · space · politics · audiobook -
Cursed Alien by Honey Phillips
Can a stubborn human free a cursed alien shifter?Once upon a time Malrik was cold, wealthy, and arrogant. Convinced he was too important to ever fall victim to the curse of the unmated Vultor, he dismissed every female brought before him. Now he roams the mountains, locked in his beast form. Until one day he catches an unfamiliar scent - one that awakens a part of him he’d thought lost forever...romance · sci-fi · aliens · shapeshifters · retellings · fantasy · other-world · female-mc · alpha-mc · fated-mates -
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The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve
Four strangers time travel to the past and find themselves stuck on the day all their lives were changed in this stunning speculative mystery from award-winning film and television producer Dete Meserve, perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Wrong Place Wrong Time and The Paradox Hotel...sci-fi · time-travel · fiction · mystery · suspense · contemporary · season-summer · crime · anthologies · action-adventure -
Imperio de sombra y tormento by Paula Gallego
Hace más de medio siglo que Japón se quedó a oscuras. Nadie puede entrar ni salir de la isla, salvo los soldados de élite del Skytree: traidores, ladrones y asesinos que solo llegan para morir enfrentándose a seres terribles... -
Auroras & Ashes: A Ravaged Skies Novel by Boyd Craven III
Faith, Family, and FishingTrapped. Attacked from all directions. Jordan Daniels felt the pressure long before the world ended. He was just trying to keep a promise to his late live a good life, maintain the family cabin Up North. But peace was a luxury he couldn't afford.The cabin was meant to be his sanctuary, the place he pursued his love of fishing after his parents passed...romance · apocalyptic · post-apocalyptic · fantasy · fiction · action-adventure · dystopia · sci-fi · male-mc · disaster -
Rok's Captive by A.G. Wilde
I signed up for a quick paycheck. Instead, I got abducted by aliens—and stranded on a desert planet that wants me dead.My name is Justine Parker, and I was desperate. Rent was due, my sister and I were one eviction away from living on the streets, and the job market had collapsed after the Xyma arrived...romance · aliens · sci-fi · monsters · survival · slow-burn · fated-mates · paranormal · fantasy · steamy -
Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan
An utterly transporting debut novel about the unexpected relationship between an artist and the 130-year-old woman she cares for—two of the last people living in a flooded San Francisco of the future, the home neither is ready to leave.“An astonishing work of art…This is the kind of book that changes you, that leaves you seeing more vividly, and living more fully, in its wake...fiction · sci-fi · dystopia · literary-fiction · pollution-climate-change · audiobook · outdoors · friendship · apocalyptic · survival -
All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens
He’s a villain looking for a hero rebrand. She’s the marketing genius who can make it happen in this fantastical romantic comedy by the author of the Beasts of Gatamora series.Over two decades ago, forty-eight young, gifted superheroes fell to Earth and were eventually marketed as opposing heroes and villains. Now, one exceptionally gruff bad guy is looking to hop teams... -
Experimento [Rojo peligro] by Lizebeth Honny
Cuando despiertas en un laboratorio subterráneo abandonado, atrapada en un salón de experimentos rodeado por monstruos que quieren devorarte y en compañía de una incubadora de agua donde hay un hombre en mal estado, te das cuenta que todo está terriblemente mal... -
Enemies by Nature by Jae
Fake dating your worst enemy—what could possibly go wrong? An enemies-to-lovers, paranormal lesbian romance that proves love can outfox anyone.Ever since shape-shifters revealed their existence to the world, tensions between humans and Wrasa have been dangerously high...romance · fantasy · enemies-to-lovers · wlw · slow-burn · lgbtq · shapeshifters · paranormal · fiction · lesbian-mc -
A Darkness So Sweet by Emma Hamm
AN AMAZON TOP 100 BESTSELLERTraded for peace. Sacrificed to a monster.Maia Fremont just wanted a chance. When the opportunity to create floral arrangements for the royal wedding is offered to her, who is she to say no? But the crown is never honest, and soon enough she finds herself thrust into an unwanted union with a fearsome troll...romance · fantasy · monsters · enemies-to-lovers · magic · forced-proximity · paranormal · arranged-marriage · fae · fated-mates -
The Butcher's Daughter: The Hitherto Untold Story of Mrs. Lovett by David Demchuk, Corinne Leigh Clark
The story of the vengeful barber Sweeney Todd has gripped fans across literary, stage, and screen renditions—but little has been told of Mrs. Lovett, Todd’s partner in crime. Until now.Enclosed herewith: a bloodcurdling correspondence of horror and intrigue, based on the original Victorian penny dreadful that started it all...horror · historical-fiction · gothic · retellings · historical · fiction · mystery · dark · female-mc · splatterpunk -
Einar by Jennifer Julie Miller, Jewel Shipley
RowanAfter years of captivity, I finally escape, and in the process of running from one monster, I find myself in a world that defies belief. I’ve been abducted by creatures that only exist in mythology and every time I open my eyes, there’s a new level of hell. I pray for it all to stop...romance · aliens · post-apocalyptic · kidnapping · sci-fi · genetic-engineering · fiction · invasion · futuristic · dark -
Daughter of Tides by Kit Rocha
From the author of Consort of Fire and Queen of Dreams comes a scorching romantasy novel full of courtly intrigue and erotic crackle riding the swells of immortal love.Aleksi, the charming and charismatic god of love, is dying. But nothing can stop the Lover from completing his final quest: a dangerous diplomatic visit to a former adversary... -
Don't Let Me Go: An Emotional LGBT Romance Novel of Timeless Love and Unbreakable Bonds by Kevin Christopher Snipes
From acclaimed author Kevin Christopher Snipes comes a moving romance about two star-crossed boys trapped in a millennium-spanning cycle of reincarnation whose only hope of escape may be a price that neither is willing to pay. Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Eliot Shrefer!Out and proud, Riley Iverson knows there’s nothing more cringe than crushing on a straight boy...romance · young-adult · lgbtq · sci-fi · fantasy · mlm · audiobook · contemporary · paranormal · fiction -
Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau
The “masterful, inspiring, and full of heart” (Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author) Jackie Lau returns with a thoroughly unique love story about a woman reliving the same Friday over and over again—and the intriguing man who can’t quite remember her.Noelle Tom really shouldn’t have eaten those dumplings at the night market...romance · fiction · time-travel · magical-realism · fantasy · contemporary · sci-fi · audiobook · womens-fiction · magic -
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Every Hour Until Then by Gabrielle Meyer
Gifted with the ability to time-cross between Victorian-era London and World War II Washington, DC, Kathryn faces two lives fraught with danger. In 1938 amid the looming shadow of war, Kathryn is invited to the London Museum as a guest curator to create a groundbreaking exhibit on Jack the Ripper and his reign of terror...romance · historical-fiction · christian · time-travel · historical · fiction · audiobook · mystery · fantasy · industrial-era -
What If It's You?: A Novel by Jilly Gagnon
Everyone wonders about the one that got away . . . and thanks to an alternate reality tech project, one woman will get the chance to actually find out.When Laurel Everett finds a ring in her longtime boyfriend Ollie's sock drawer, she should be thrilled . . -
The Names by Florence Knapp
The extraordinary debut that Can a name change the course of a life?In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him... -
The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson
A brilliant, eccentric teenager must solve a series of puzzles left behind by her dead father in this debut that features codes, riddles, and a plot that ingeniously mixes fact and fiction.When seventeen-year-old Arizona’s mother goes missing on a family trip, Arizona tells herself not to worry. Until she finds her family’s Airstream ransacked—and the ominous note on the counter...mystery · young-adult · fiction · suspense · coming-of-age · action-adventure · contemporary · secrets · kidnapping · bildungsroman -
An Old Soul by M. Kevin Hayden
“It’s YOUR world.”A brilliant, heart-breaking, and compulsively readable mystery that tugs on the fabric of reality, and explores what it might mean for humanity if we didn’t have to lose our loved ones…at least not in the way we think.In 1996 Chicago, twenty-five-year-old Isaac André feels like a stranger in his own life—until the world starts whispering back...romance · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · drama · sci-fi · mystery · womens-fiction · realistic · mental-illness -
The Art of Exile by Andrea Max
Legendborn meets The Da Vinci Code in this captivating light academia contemporary fantasy following a teen who infiltrates a secret school for the descendants of exiled Renaissance masters to steal their long-lost arts and sciences.Unlike the high-achieving members of her family’s secret society, Ada Castle has mastered nothing but the art of falling for the wrong guys...romance · fantasy · young-adult · dark-academia · audiobook · fiction · enemies-to-lovers · urban-fantasy · contemporary · mystery -
The Devil's Embrace by Chani Lynn Feener
Calix Valimir has one goal…Catch the killer terrorizing the galaxy and make it off the planet Emergence faster than anyone can recognize him. Of course, that’s a pipe dream, and he’s identified the very first night he’s there. Fortunately for him, he’s rescued by the resident golden boy, Doctor Aodhan Solace...romance · sci-fi · mlm · crime · dark · paranormal · splatterpunk · graphic-violence · fantasy · polyamory