Leigh Bardugo's first foray to adult fantasy and dark academia is not only a cautionary tale about messing with the supernatural, but is also a sobering exploration to campus culture, especially its social aspects where connections and status directly translate to power.
The Stone Knife by Anna Stephens (The Songs of the Drowned #1)
Anna Stephens is back, and her second series starts off bloodier, grittier, and more brutal than ever. Never has music sounded more terrifying in The Stone Knife, where colonisation is as unapologetically bloody as it is devious. The Stone Knife is indisputably one of the most impressively insidious entries in the fantasy genre I've read in 2020.
The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter (The Burning #2)
Evan Winter's follow up to The Rage of Dragons has it all: spectacularly violent action, bigger scopes, higher stakes, and dramatic storytelling that is bolder and better than ever.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (Between Earth and Sky #1)
Rebecca Roanhorse's bold and shocking storytelling aptly sets the tone of the Between Earth and Sky series as Black Sun sees dark truths brought to light and past sins brutally paid for.
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart (The Drowning Empire #1)
Packing wickedly clever plotting and superb world-building with a touch of disturbing genius, Andrea Stewart’s The Bone Shard Daughter presents a larger-than-life epic through seamlessly interwoven storylines.