July is supposed to be a slow month for publishing. But that doesn't mean these July releases should be overlooked.

This month delivered some of the most quietly extraordinary fantasy releases of the year and of course they are all by women, and of course they all center women who refuse to be diminished by the worlds they inhabit. That is not a coincidence. That is what happens when you pay attention to the right voices.

Here is what you might not have known was out this month:

The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood by H.G. Parry release date: July 21

Wales, 1941. The world is at war and people everywhere have begun dreaming of King Arthur. The dreams spread like a plague, flooding sleep with visions of a returning king. But librarian Elaine Ambrose dreams of the Lady of the Lake instead and she is certain it is not a sign of salvation.

This is Arthurian legend refracted through the very real terror of WWII, written with the kind of lush, atmospheric prose that makes you feel like you are reading by candlelight in a blacked-out cottage. For anyone who has ever wanted their mythology to carry actual weight.

Misery's Wife by Joan Tierney release date: July 14

A trans woman sets out to rescue her sister from the Kingdom of Misery. She is aided by Luck's sister, Jinx — which tells you everything you need to know about how this journey is going to go.

This is a queer cli-fi reimagining of a Portuguese folktale, and it is exactly as lyrical, strange, and emotionally devastating as that description implies. Tierney writes folklore the way it was always meant to be written — as a map of what it costs to love someone and what you will burn down to bring them home.

Harbour of Hungry Ghosts by Eliza Chan release date: July 28

Opium War-era Hong Kong. The Au family are demon hunters — blessing shrines, honoring the dead, keeping their city safe from yiaoguai incursions. When British colonists disrupt the Hungry Ghost festival and Kiamling's grandmother is seized by something no one has seen before, Kiamling must lead the search with a mismatched crew of unexpected allies.

Babel meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the comparison being made and honestly it earns it. This one has the rare quality of being genuinely fun while also having something real to say about colonialism, family expectation, and what it means to be the daughter who is supposed to hold everything together.

There you have it! Three July releases. Three women. Three worlds that feel nothing like each other and everything like the kind of books Ink & Ether exists to put in your hands.

-The Keeper