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Book reviews and excerpts from exceptional books that are the first in a new series.

1st in Series

Recommended books found: 166

1st in Series is a members-only category, so your results have been limited to 12 books. If you are a member, please log in. If not, please consider joining today!.

Gliff

A Novel

by Ali Smith

Hardcover: Feb 2025 | Paperback: May 2026

Critics' Consensus:

From a literary master, a moving and genre-bending story about our era-spanning search for meaning and knowing.

Nonesuch

A Novel

by Francis Spufford

Hardcover: Mar 2026

Critics' Consensus:

A spellbinding tale about an ambitious young woman who must thwart an occult plot by time-traveling fascists during the chaos of the London Blitz—from "one of our most powerful writers of wayward historical fiction" (The Washington Post).

We Solve Murders

A Novel

by Richard Osman

Hardcover: Sep 2024 | Paperback: May 2025

Critics' Consensus:

Solving murders. It's a family business.

The Last Bloodcarver

(The Last Bloodcarver Duology, Book 1)

by Vanessa Le

Hardcover: Mar 2024 | Paperback: Mar 2025

Critics' Consensus:

"A gritty world filled with a beautifully crafted cast and an intricate magic system. A smart, lush, and utterly compelling read." —Marie Lu, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Legend

The Tainted Cup

by Robert Jackson Bennett

Hardcover: Feb 2024 | Paperback: Nov 2024

Critics' Consensus:

A Holmes and Watson–style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from the Edgar-winning, multiple Hugo-nominated Robert Jackson Bennett

Blackwater I: The Flood

by Michael McDowell

Paperback: Sep 2024

Critics' Consensus:

As the dark and menacing waters of the local river submerge Perdido, a small town in the south of Alabama, the Caskeys - a family of rich landowners - must confront the tide of damage caused by the flood.

Foul Days

The Witch's Compendium of Monsters #1

by Genoveva Dimova

Paperback: Jun 2024

Critics' Consensus:

The Witcher meets Naomi Novik in this fast-paced fantasy rooted in Slavic folklore, from an assured new voice in genre fiction.

Nightbirds

by Kate J. Armstrong

Hardcover: Feb 2023 | Paperback: Jun 2024

Critics' Consensus:

In a dazzling new fantasy world full of whispered secrets and political intrigue, the magic of women is outlawed but four girls with unusual powers have the chance to change it all.

Spice Road

Spice Road #1

by Maiya Ibrahim

Hardcover: Jan 2023 | Paperback: Apr 2024

Critics' Consensus:

The first book in an epic fantasy series set in an Arabian-inspired land with secret spice magic. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, sixteen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother, whose betrayal is now the ...

Strike the Zither

Kingdom of Three #1

by Joan He

Hardcover: Oct 2022 | Paperback: Mar 2024

Critics' Consensus:

A dazzling new fantasy from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, Strike the Zither is a powerful, inventive, and sweeping fantasy that reimagines the Chinese classic tale of the Three Kingdoms.

The Puzzle Master

A Novel

by Danielle Trussoni

Hardcover: Jun 2023 | Paperback: Mar 2024

Critics' Consensus:

Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of ...

The Book That Wouldn't Burn

The Library Trilogy #1

by Mark Lawrence

Hardcover: May 2023 | Paperback: Mar 2024

Critics' Consensus:

Two strangers find themselves connected by a vast and mysterious library containing many wonders and still more secrets, in this powerfully moving first book in a new series from the international bestselling author of Red Sister and Prince of Thorns...

1st in Series is a members-only category, so your results have been limited to 12 books. If you are a member, please log in. If not, please consider joining today!

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