2021 Releases by Black Authors I’m Excited for 📚

Hello fellow bookworms 💕 I sadly didn’t get to write this post during Black History Month like I had intended, but now that my exams are over, I can finally change that! I love talking about anticipated releases and thought it would be a nice idea to do a spotlight post highlighting 2021 Releases by Black Authors (some of them already released, other publishing later this ywar) that I’m very excited for! Today I’m talking about the 10 Books I’m looking forward to the most, but I’ve also included some links to other recommendation/releases posts and added some honorable mentions at the end of the post as well 🥰 Note: All covers link back to the books’s Goodreads page!

Also Check Out These Posts ❤

• Book Recommendations: Black History Month Edition! 20 Black Science-Fiction and Fantasy Books & Book Recommendations: Black History Month Edition! 20 Black Queer Books by CW @ thequietpond
• 6 Fave Backlist Books by Black Authors by Kate @ yourtitakate
• 2021 Book Release Schedule by Melanin In YA
• 104 Books by Black Authors That You Can’t Miss This Year by Paige @ readingpaiges

Already Mentioned in my Most Anticipated Releases Post

1. Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
2. Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

One of the Good Ones (Maika & Maritza Moulite) 📚 Published January 5th ➽ This book is the story of Happi whose activist sister was killed at a rally under strange circumstances and now is picking up the pieces of her life. It’s a story commenting on how only ‘good’ people are deemed worthy of grief and how the media tries to paint an idealized picture of Happi’s sister! 😔 It’s such a sad reality that often people who made mistakes are twisted into deserving their death and suffering, so I’m interested to read the commentary this book will provide!

The Meet Cute Project (Rhiannon Richardson) 📚 Published January 12th ➽ Okay, this sounds like it could be a super cute and romantic story! The main character is not a big fan of romcoms but when she needs a date to her sister’s wedding, her friends set out on a missing to get her a true Meet Cute! This has so much potential to explore romcom cliches, friendships and romance, so I’m very excited to be reading this book 💗

Wings of Ebony (J. Elle) 📚 Published January 26th ➽ This book caught my eye because it’s about a half-god, half-human girl who is trying to protect her sister and neighborhood with her newfound magical powers! I need more books about demigod characters in my life and this sounds good, especially as it seems to draw parallels to our life with people thriving on human suffering. My library got the e-book, so I hope to read this one soon! 💕

The Gilded Ones (Namina Forna) 📚 Published February 9th ➽ I got a digitial Arc of this book that I wasn’t able to read yet, so it’s currently on the top of my priority list!! I’m really excited for this book because it’s an action-packed West-African inspired Fantasy book discussing feminism and power. I’ve already heard such good things about this book from both the community and friends which makes me even more excited to pick this one up soon! 🥰

 

Game Changer (Neal Shusterman) 📚 Published February 9th ➽ This is another book I got an eArc of but haven’t had the chance to read it yet. I adore Shusterman’s sci-fi/dystopian books, they always have such good commentary and discussions, so I was intrigued by the premise of parallel worlds. I’m a tiny bit unsure of how this will go, as the author is trying to tackle a lot of important topics – and does so through the eyes of a white teen – so we’ll see how I end up liking that! 🙏

Honey Girl (Morgan Rogers) 📚 Published February 23rd ➽ Originally this book wasn’t even on my radar (This is the only Adult book on my list), but then I saw so much love for it on social media and in the community, that I got very intrigued!! It’s about a 28 year old overachiever who feels weighed down by the pressues and expectations of society, something that Immediately caught my eye. There’s also an impulse marriage with another woman involved, a trope I haven’t read much of, but would like to ❤

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry (Joya Goffney) 📚 Expected Publication: May 4th ➽ This book immediately intrigued me because it has a list-making character who writes down all her biggest fears in order to deal with them and that sounds very relatable to me! There’s also a blackmailer in the background threatening to expose her journal if she doesn’t face some of her deepest fears. It sounds like a very unique and emotional story! ❤

Ace of Spades (Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé) 📚 Expected Publication: June 10th ➽ This book isn’t even out yet but I’ve already heard such fantastic things about it! Ace of Spades is a thriller discussing power, privilege and institutionalized racism! I have been wanting to read more thriller books and this one sounds really engaging with secrets getting exposed by a mysterious figure called Aces, who might be playing a more dangerous game 👀 After all the praise I’ve seen I’ve become more and more excited for this book as I enjoy a good mystery!

Blood Like Magic (Liselle Sambury) 📚 Expected Publication: June 15th ➽ WITCHES are one of my biggest buzzwords, so I was very excited to discover this book! It’s about a young witch who fails her magical ‘Calling’ which means that her family will lose their magic … unless she kills her first love 😱 I found this premise to be really intriguing as it seems to have a big family element and also the moral implications of killing someone that you’ve grown to care about. I cannot wait to start this new series!

The Taking of Jake Livingston (Ryan Douglass) 📚 Expected Publication: July 13th ➽ This only recently appeared on my radar, as I’ve been wanting to read more books with a light horror element! This is about a boy named Jake who can see the dead. Mostly they are harmless but then he gets caught in the game of a serial killer ghost who is turning everything into a game of survival. I already have a feeling that this is going to be such an atmospheric book full of tension!! 👻

Honorable Mentions 💕

• When You Look Like Us by Pamela Harris 📚 Published January 5th
• The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris 📚 Expected Publication: April 6th
• Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee 📚 Expected Publication: May 4th
• Off the Record by Camryn Garrett 📚 Expected Publication: May 18th

 

• Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud 📚 Expected Publication: June 1st
• Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis 📚 Expected Publication: August 24th
• The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley 📚 Expected Publication: September 7th

What’s are your most anticipated 2021 releases written by Black Author? Did you have the chance to read some of the January/February releases? 📚