For my list of anticipated May 2026 book releases I have 10 books to share, just like my April 2026 book releases list. Once again, this list of May 2026 book releases focuses on speculative fiction. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since my long-time followers know I read mostly fantasy! But I threw in a nonfiction book in this month’s list for fun, one I wish I’d had a year ago before my trip to southwestern England. Anyway, enjoy this roundup!
- May 2026 Book Releases
- Rolls and Rivalry by Kristy Boyce*
- The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty**
- The Lost Book of Lancelot by John Glynn
- Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffman
- We Dance Upon Demons by Vaishnavi Patel
- Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow*
- Trollheim: Tale of Systir by Georgia Summers
- The Tattooed Hills: Journeys to Chalk Figures by Jon Woolcott
- The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro
- The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens
* = I have an ARC of this book.
** = I preordered this book.
May 2026 Book Releases
Rolls and Rivalry by Kristy Boyce*
Series: None
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Publish Date: May 5, 2026
Print Length: 384
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Roll the dice, strike up the band, and get ready for a swoon-worthy summer! A charming gaming romance that blends the magic of D&D with the camaraderie of band camp—from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!
Questing for love . . .
Hazel Buchanan has her senior year mapped out: Win respect as color guard captain, kick off her first D&D campaign, and steer clear of distractions. But her plan takes a critical hit when Max—her former best friend and longtime crush—returns to town with drumsticks in hand and an unexplained chip on his shoulder.
Hazel and Max can’t help bickering every time they’re together, and thanks to meddling parents, he’s invading her D&D game too. As Dungeon Master, she’s ready to shut him down, but D&D has a way of bringing people together like nothing else. Is this rivalry masking something more? With dice rolling and emotions spinning, Hazel might be in for more than she planned . . .
The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty**
Series: Amina al-Sirafi, #2
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publish Date: May 12, 2026
Print Length: 496
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty sets sail into the second adventure of pirate Amina al-Sirafi as her quest to track down magical artifacts brings her to the island lair of a sorceress whose woven enchantments are impossible to flee.
Amina al-Sirafi thinks she’s struck gold. Tasked with hunting down arcane artifacts for the council of immortal peris, she can savor the occasional rollicking adventure on the high seas with her cherished criminal companions while still returning home to raise her beloved daughter, Marjana. But when Raksh, the spirit of discord with whom she is reluctantly wed, provokes the council’s wrath, Amina is charged with a seemingly impossible quest: steal a spindle capable of rewriting fate from a mysterious sorceress on an island no one can escape.
Forced to leave Marjana—who is increasingly frustrated at being peddled what are clearly lies about her mother’s life and her own past—Amina finds her mission almost immediately thrown into peril. But deadly storms, an erratic poison mistress, and old enemies are the least of her worries. For the peris’ story is unraveling, hinting at a far deadlier game whose rules Amina must swiftly puzzle out. A game that sets her against an adversary more cunning and powerful than she has ever faced.
A game that not everyone on her crew wants her to win.
The Lost Book of Lancelot by John Glynn
Series: None
Genre: Historical Fantasy, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: May 12, 2026
Print Length: 384
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A “breathtaking” (Sarah Penner) reimagining of the legend of Sir Lancelot, following the famous knight as he grows up orphaned, falls in love, and attempts to fulfill his destiny at the Round Table–from the bestselling author of Out East.
Hidden away on the Isle of Women, a nameless orphan grows up among a powerful sisterhood, but always at a distance. He hears whispers of a prophecy that may shed light on his destiny–and his true identity: Lancelot. Determined to master the skills of knighthood, he begins training in tandem with the handsome Galehaut. As the two become inseparable, they guide one another toward their truest selves. But no matter how tightly they cling to one another, each has a role to play in the wizard Merlin’s grand prophecies.
When Lancelot is forced to follow Merlin to Camelot, he fights to protect his heart while seeking the fabled grail alongside King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. But when Roman legionaries encroach on their kingdom, their quest takes on new urgency, as does Lancelot’s explosive secret–the truth of what he left behind on the Isle of Women.
Steeped in rich medieval lore, The Lost Book of Lancelot is at once an immersive, a poignant love story and an epic, unforgettable tale of a vulnerable boy who is forced to rise to the occasion amid a battle between the old world and the new.
Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffman
Series: None
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Publish Date: May 12, 2026
Print Length: 320
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A script supervisor for an AI media conglomerate is caught between her intense need for an orderly life and her deeper, darker queer desires. From the creator of the Outside trilogy, a heartfelt interplanetary epic of identity, longing, and a space pirate who smuggles inappropriate stories.
Kelli Reynolds loves creating stories more than anything in the world. But on Callisto, a generative AI company called Inspiration owns everything, including all the media, and only Inspiration determines which stories can be told.
Kelli has a rare and coveted job where her autism is to her advantage: She precisely edits AI output into “appropriate” stories for Inspiration’s massive TV audience. Her proudest creation is the pirate Orlando—a dashing do-gooder based on stories she used to tell friends.
Reenter Kelli’s ex-boyfriend Rowan, the person Kelli based Orlando on. Back when they were teenagers, their relationship was a secret. Kelli had thought that Rowan, a trans man, was her schoolmate Am, a girl.
Rowan is tangled up in the black market after he needed to get money for gender affirming surgery. He needs Kelli’s help with something . . . illegal. So, now Kelli has to decide: Will she risk the safe, tidy story of her life now for the world she once wished for? What would Orlando do?
Passionate, dangerous, and tender, Ignore All Previous Instructions is a sweeping, poignant novel about censorship, forbidden love, and growing up.
We Dance Upon Demons by Vaishnavi Patel
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: S&S/Saga Press
Publish Date: May 12, 2026
Print Length: 304
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
From the New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi, a galvanizing stand-alone contemporary fantasy following a burnt-out reproductive health care worker as she fights back against escalating attacks on her clinic and the malevolent forces in hot pursuit of her newly acquired power.
As a reproductive health care worker in Chicago, Nisha is barely staying afloat in the ocean of abortion bans, screaming protestors, and her own all-consuming depression.
When she escapes to the Indian art exhibit at her favorite museum for a brief respite, Nisha suddenly finds herself bleeding, disoriented, and collapsed on the ground. The last thing she remembers is the statue that beckoned her to touch it. In the days that follow, Nisha feels a strange power coursing within her, one that attracts a host of dangerous and enigmatic characters who covet it for themselves.
Facing threats both otherworldly and distinctly human, Nisha must navigate uncertain alliances to piece together the centuries-old mystery of her odd and terrifying abilities. And as danger closes in on her loved ones, community, and the clinic she’s determined to protect, Nisha must make a choice about the life she wants—and fight all the demons standing in her way to get it.
Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow*
Series: Seamere College, #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Ace
Publish Date: May 19, 2026
Print Length: 432
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Two scholars of magical veterinary science must put aside their lust and loathing to save the world in the first installment of this whimsical, romantic, dark academia duology.
All Gwendolynne Chan needs is to get through final year at Seamere College, where she is on track to graduate as number one —as long as the pretentious prat Harrisford Briggs doesn’t beat her to it.
Harrisford Briggs’s father, the chief financial officer of Magecorp, a major global distributor of magic, expects him to come top of the class. Harrisford, though, can’t help but notice that his father has been acting odd. And there are strange whisperings, too, of uncontrollable surges of excess magic.
When these magical surges begin to rock London, causing chaos and explosions and animal familiars going feral, Gwen and Harrisford find themselves reluctantly involved, putting both of their veterinary careers at risk.
Along with Gwen’s snarky cat familiar, Gwen and Harrisford must team up to diagnose the problem. But as the two academic rivals fight their burgeoning feelings, they quickly realize that magic is not the only thing surging.
Trollheim: Tale of Systir by Georgia Summers
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Titan Books
Publish Date: May 19, 2026
Print Length: 432
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
When their mother is burned at the stake, Sýstir and Ada have two options: run or die. For fans of The Bear and the Nightingale and The Ten Thousand Doors of January, this lyrical tale of magical realism rooted in Nordic folklore is written by a no.1 Sunday Times bestselling author.
Sýstir’s world is small and quiet, but shrouded in secrets. Outside of her family’s cottage lurks the constant threat of being discovered for what she truly is: unwanted, dangerous, Huldra. When their mother is accused of witchcraft and dragged to the stake, she and her sister must run for their lives. Yet only Sýstir escapes.
Taken in by the rogue troll Agagkantor, Sýstir finds herself in the Dark Forest, otherwise known as Trollheim. Here, she discovers a magical realm for mythical beings and a sanctuary for those with nowhere left to turn. For Sýstir, it’s a chance to forge a new family and live life as her true self. But questions remain about her missing sister, and Agagkantor carries a secret of his own – one that could unravel Sýstir’s past and destroy the Dark Forest entirely…
The Tattooed Hills: Journeys to Chalk Figures by Jon Woolcott
Series: None
Genre: Nonfiction, History
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Aurum
Publish Date: May 19, 2026
Print Length: 256
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A journey through Britain’s chalklands, uncovering the stories, symbolism, and shifting meanings of the mysterious figures carved into its hills.
Across southern England and beyond, the land bears the marks of centuries–white horses, giants, crosses, badges, even a lost panda–cut into the chalk and exposed to the sky. In The Tattooed Hills, writer Jon Woolcott travels to these remarkable sites, exploring their history and the deep cultural roots that link landscape to identity.
Part travelogue, part cultural history, Woolcott examines how these figures–sometimes ancient, sometimes surprisingly recent–reflect the nation’s collective imagination, and how their interpretations have changed over time. Once emblems of pride or remembrance, they have become mirrors of our shifting values and contradictions.
From Iron Age hillforts to modern regimental carvings, The Tattooed Hills brings together archaeology, folklore, art, literature and music to reveal the evolving story of Britain’s chalk landscapes and the people who shaped them.
Beautifully written and steeped in a sense of place, Woolcott visits many of England’s Chalk figures, delving into their mysteries, including The Westbury White Horse, the Long Man of Wilmington, The Cerne Abbas Giant and the Uffington White Horse.
A captivating exploration of landscape, culture, and belonging, The Tattooed Hills reveals how the Britain’ chalklands connect to the past and shapes the country today.
The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro
Series: Rainshadow, #1
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: S&S/Saga Press
Publish Date: May 26, 2026
Print Length: 640
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The first novel in a dazzling fantasy trilogy inspired by Japanese folklore and Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away, set within a mythical archipelago brimming with dragons and Sun Spirits, high-tech hackers and bubble tea.
Life is hard for the inhabitants of Rainshadow City, a place where poverty and corruption are rife and where they are terrorized by an underground criminal organization known as the Lucky Crows.
Toshiko, Jun and Mei Kawakami are a family, bonded through loyalty if not blood, who live outside the increasingly corrupt law and who are seeking revenge for the murder of their beloved “aunt” Reiko by the Lucky Crows. Haru is the son of the Emperor, destined to one day rule over the Archipelago and uphold his mother’s ignoble legacy, but he is more interested in making friends with the magical Sun Spirits it seems only he can see. Theo, forced to leave his homeland, is a reluctant foot-soldier for the Lucky Crows. He doesn’t want to be a gangster, but as an illegal immigrant to the city, his choices are severely limited.
When Toshiko steals a dragon pearl from the leader of the Crows, it sets them all on a thrilling path which will determine the future of Rainshadow City. Tightly set across two days and peopled with unforgettable characters, The Rainshadow Orphans blends the anime fantasy of works like Pokémon and Studio Ghibli and the anime science fiction of revolutionary cyberpunk like Akira to explore what it means to stand up to corruption and take charge of destiny.
The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publish Date: May 26, 2026
Print Length: 320
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A fraudulent teen quester must team up with a brooding, royal rival on a perilous adventure to save her brother’s life in this “witty…lively, heartfelt” (School Library Journal, starred review) young adult romantasy full of mythical creatures by the New York Times bestselling author of Spell Bound and So This is Ever After.
Seventeen-year-old Ellinore has the best questing record in the kingdom. Not even Aven—the infuriatingly charming royal who’s become her fiercest rival—can compete. But every one of Ellinore’s triumphs is a lie. The monsters she’s slain? Staged. The treasures she’s claimed? Planted. Tired of the charade, she shocks the realm by retiring during a royal feast.
Her hopes for a quiet life vanish when her reckless twin brother, Zig, bets his life on her ability to retrieve the horn of the mythical Elder Beast—a creature no one believes is real. To save him, Ellinore must return to the spotlight for one final quest. She’s joined by Zig, eager to prove himself; Aven, determined to finally outshine her; and a ragtag crew of unlikely questers with big dreams, questionable skills, and a knack for trouble.
As the stakes rise, Ellinore must decide who she really wants to be: the fraud the kingdom celebrates, the hero it needs, or someone entirely new.
And that’s a wrap for my list of anticipated May 2026 book releases! Are you looking forward to any of these?


I only have plans to read one of these, at least for this month (Strange Familiars), but I’m curious about Ignore All Previous Instructions, although the synopsis is a little confusing, lol. Or maybe I need more coffee!
You’re right, the synopsis for IGNORE ALL PREVIOUS INSTRUCTIONS is a bit confusing, particularly about the whole ex relationship thing. Maybe it makes more sense when you read the whole book, lol. I found out about this one on bookstagram and added it to my TBR because of the autism rep in a scifi book.
Absolutely loved Rolls & Rivalry AND We Dance Upon Demons. May is looking good.
Yay! This makes me even more excited to read ROLLS AND RIVALRY!