Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I check out a cool and enticing fantasy novel coming out next year with Floralinda by Tamsyn Muir.
There are a lot of cool fantasy and science fiction authors out there who specialise in unique and distinctive stories. However, one of the more popular at the moment is the talented Tamsyn Muir, who gained particular attention in recent years thanks to her Locked Tomb series. Featuring an elaborate, galaxy-spanning narrative that follows several complex, space-faring lesbian necromancers, the Locked Tomb series is deeply compelling, with some great queer representation. I had an outstanding time reading the first two books in the series, Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth, especially as they contained some impressive twists and clever swerves.
While I still need to read the third book in the Locked Tomb series, Nona the Ninth, I currently have my eye set on Muir’s next upcoming book, Floralinda. A captivating new upcoming fantasy novel, Floralinda looks set to be a fun twist on the classic trapped princess story, which will see the princess in question forced to implement her own escape after all the princes sent to rescue her brutally die. Set for release in July 2027, Floralinda has an intriguing plot behind it which I really love the sound of.
Plot Synopsis:
THE TOWER BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER. TRUE LOVE MADE THEM WORSE.
The princess in the tower is a classic for a reason. Witch kidnaps princess. Witch puts princess in tower guarded by monsters. Prince kills monsters, rescues princess: happily ever after, roll credits. Princess Floralinda’s story goes a little differently.
Her witch was an artiste, and she got carried away. After a dozen or so princes died on the very first floor, the rest decided there were easier paths to wedded bliss. So Floralinda sets out to rescue herself, armed only with a breadknife, a good upbringing, and a captive fairy named Cobweb.
THE ONLY WAY OUT IS DOWN
Unfortunately for Floralinda, the trouble with the tower is only beginning. On the outside, succession looms. The Fairy Courts call. A princess would have no hope of surviving all that is to come… but maybe a monster could.
The above story for Floralinda sounds extremely cool, and it is something that has definitely caught my attention. A fun take on the classic trapped princess narrative that sees the princess have enough of her captivity and then fight down multiple levels of a monster-filled tower has a ton of potential, and I imagine that Muir will throw in multiple fun twists as the story continues. This has the potential to get quite crazy, and I’m very curious to see the author’s first full foray into fantasy fiction, especially one filled with adventure, intrigue and a clever deconstruction of iconic fairy tale tropes. It also helps that I haven’t had the chance to read Muir’s existing novella, Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower, which the author apparently used as a base for this book, so I can check out Floralinda with no existing expectations.
Due to it’s awesome sounding plot, Floralinda is now one of the top fantasy releases in 2027 that I want to read. Sure to be one of the more entertaining and unique fantasy novels of the year, Floralinda has so much potential, and I cannot wait to see how Tamsyn Muir’s next book turns out. I have no doubt I’m going to love every second that the protagonist spends descending this crazy tower, and Floralinda is going to be such an incredible read.