ARCs my POC heart would love to find under the Christmas tree (aka 2020 books to look forward to)

Yes, this will definitely be a thread.

These Violent Delights by @thechloegong

The love child of The Godfather & Romeo and Juliet? I’M SOLD.
Historical fantasy set in the 1920s
Feuding gangs & rival heirs
HAVE YOU WATCHED CHLOE’S BOOK TRAILERS? I stan a legend.

The Gilded Ones by @NaminaForna

West African-inspired feminist fantasy? I have to stan.
Blood ceremonies
Challenges notions of “purity”
Women warriors
A BEAUTIFUL BLACK GIRL THRIVING ON ITS BOOK COVER I’M

Star Daughter by @ShvetaThakrar

Hindu mythology & South Asian gloriousness in a fantasy? Need!
A CELESTIAL COMPETITION WHAT
Just a half-star girl tryna save her father
The book cover is too gorgeous for words, tbh

Where Dreams Descend by @janella_angeles

Filipino author excellence
Phantom of the Opera vibes
Circuses & literally disappearing magicians
Mysteries & dangerous secrets
THE NEED I HAVE FOR THIS BOOK, I HAVE NO WORDS

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by @rosiesrambles

African fantasy with dark magic & necromancy
Vengeful spirits & assassination attempts
Assassin forced to enter a competition for the princess’s hand in marriage?
#ownvoices rep
RELEASE THE COVER ALREADY YOU COWARDS

Zara Hossain Is Here by @Sabina_Writer

It not yet here bUT IT QUEER (bi energy for days)
Pakistani & Muslim teenage lead
Tackles Islamophobia and what it means to be an immigrant in US
WE HAVE ANOTHER BROWN GIRL ON THE COVER I AM SCREAMING

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by @zenaldehyde

Wuxia fantasy novella
Found family... ... of thieves
Banditry & bounty-hunting
The cover is so elegant, my eyes are unworthy
TORDOTCOM, HEAR MY PRAYERS!!!

Forest of Souls by @LoriMLee

Just your average royal spy casually raising her dead best friend back to life, wbu?
Ancient forest possessed by souls
Female friendships
Magic system inspired by Hmong shamanism
ASIAN-CODED CHARACTERS, I AM HYPED!!!

Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena

Star-shaped birthmarks aren’t a Good Thing
Set in a fantasy world inspired by medieval India
Sisterhood & rebel women in solidarity!!!
Complicated romance
“Exploring identity & class struggles” SHUT UP AND TAKE MY SOUL

The Henna Wars by @adiba_j

Two teen girls with rival henna businesses!
QPOC excellence & Sapphic romance (A BLESSING)
Lesbian & Muslim rep
The diverse contemporary romance wE DESERVE OH MY GOD
ALSO THE COVER DESERVES TO BE WORSHIPPED

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Ancient Persian-inspired fairytale retelling
A princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch
I’ve just learned that this has bisexual rep AND girls loving girls???
I’m ready for this author to revolutionize the genre, tbh

My Summer of Love and Misfortune by @lindsaymwong

Comp’ed to Crazy Rich Asians
Chinese-American teen spending her summer in China to reconnect with her culture
Beijing high society & elite
Contemporary romance I’m absolutely dying to read!!!

Jade Fire Gold by @junescribbles

Chinese mythology in YA fantasy
“Cinematic tale of family, revenge, and forgiveness” HELLO I AM SOLD
Cult of dangerous priests wHAT
Complicated alliances
Cursed with the power to steal souls???
Basically AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Every Reason We Shouldn’t by @SaraFujimura

Asian teen figure skaters falling in love!!!
Biracial family dynamics
YES TO SPORTS ROMANCE WITH POC
Rivals to lovers???
This sounds really cute, I’m so excited

We Are Not Free by @tracichee

Historical fiction about the mass US incarcerations of WWII
Teens of Japanese descent forming a community
THE POWER THIS BOOK WILL HAVE WHEN IT GETS RELEASED OMG
Traci Chee casually serving us a potential literary masterpiece

Scavenge the Stars by @EachStarAWorld

Fantasy reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo!!!
Revenge, deception, and secrets
A HIGH-STAKES ADVENTURE
Glorious QPOC representation
CAN’T STRESS HOW HYPED I AM, TBH.

Loveboat, Taipei by @abigailhingwen

Asian teen with strict, overprotective parents? SOUNDS LIKE MY LIFE
Teen meet-market for clubbing and drinking sake? SOUNDS FUN
Teenage rebellion & romance? SOUNDS LIKE I NEED THIS BOOK ASAP

Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by @rosellewriter

Fortune telling using tea leaves
Meddling parents and matchmaking
Finding love & changing destiny
Iirc, I know Roselle’s inspiration for the LI
I ALSO NEED THE COVER REVEAL FOR THIS ASAP

2020 SEQUELS I NEED UNDER MY CHRISTMAS TREE:

The Archer at Dawn by @swatiteerdhala
Unravel the Dusk by @LizLim
Night of the Dragon by @Jkagawa
The Silvered Serpents by @Roshani_Chokshi
The Shadow of Kyoshi by @yeebookauthor
The Fallen Hero by @ktzhaoauthor

Okay, y’all, time for the bonus section — aka I already have ARCs of these titles but I’m gonna mention them in this thread and hype them up anyway.

Why? Because I can and so I will.

Wicked As You Wish by @RinChupeco

Alternate reality where fairytales are true?
Angry gay exiled prince? Chinese enbi adoptee? Diverse characters all thriving?
Descendants of a Filipino heroine?
Endless whimsy and weirdness?

LITERALLY NO YA NOVEL HAS EVER.

The Wolf of Oren-yaro by @k_villoso

YA high fantasy led by a Filipino queen (listen to me sob)
Powerful women being hated? RELATABLE CONTENT.
Divided land that needs to be united? UM, I ALSO RELATE.
Politics! Relationships! Power! Magic!

THIS HAS EVERYTHING.