September 5th
Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline (Feiwel and Friends)
Mary Lennox didn’t think about death until the day it knocked politely on her bedroom door and invited itself in. When a terrible accident leaves her orphaned at fifteen, she is sent to the wilderness of the Georgian Bay to live with an uncle she's never met.
At first the impassive, calculating girl believes this new manor will be just like the one she left in Toronto: cold, isolating, and anything but cheerful, where staff is treated as staff and never like family. But as she slowly allows her heart to open like the first blooms of spring, Mary comes to find that this strange place and its strange people—most of whom are Indigenous self-named "halfbreeds"—may be what she can finally call home.
Then one night Mary discovers Olive, her cousin who has been hidden away in an attic room for years due to a "nervous condition." The girls become fast friends, and Mary wonders why this big-hearted girl is being kept out of sight and fed medicine that only makes her feel sicker. When Olive's domineering stepmother returns to the manor, it soon becomes clear that something sinister is going on.
With the help of a charming, intoxicatingly vivacious Metis girl named Sophie, Mary begins digging further into family secrets both wonderful and horrifying to figure out how to free Olive. And some of the answers may lie within the walls of a hidden, overgrown and long-forgotten garden the girls stumble upon while wandering the wilds...
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (Peachtree Teen)
London, 1883. The veil between the living and the dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums command spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society. And sixteen-year-old Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. According to Mother, he’ll be married by the end of the year. It doesn’t matter that he’s needed a decade of tutors to hide his autism; that he practices surgery on slaughtered pigs; that he is a boy, not the girl the world insists on seeing; and that the veil and its ghosts have rejected Silas, leaving him unable to do spirit-work at all.
When a failed attempt to escape his fate leaves a man mortally wounded, Silas’ parents send him to Braxton’s Finishing School for Elegant Young Ladies. The school is cold and brutal, the instructors are merciless, and the students sequestered within have no chance of leaving unless they surrender their bodies to the creation of more Speaker sons. Here, Silas is trapped—until he meets Daphne, the closeted trans girl he has been betrothed to. Daphne sees cracks in the Speakers’ story, and, like Silas, has a taste for vengeance. Together, they vow to drag the Speakers into the light and force them to face the lies behind the system they’ve created.
That is, if Braxton’s and the Speakers don’t break them first.
Everyone's Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni (Balzer + Bray)
Within the walls of Wodebury Hall, an elite boarding school in the English countryside, reputation is everything. But aspiring photographer Iyanu is more comfortable observing things safely from behind her camera.
For Iyanu’s estranged cousin Kitan, life seems perfect. She has money, beauty and friends like queen bee Heather. But as a Nigerian girl in a school as white and insular as Wodebury, Kitan struggles with the personal sacrifices needed to keep her place- and the protection she gets- within the exclusive popular crowd.
Then, photos from Iyanu’s camera are stolen and splashed across the school–each with a juicy secret written on it. With everyone’s dirty laundry suddenly out in the open, the school explodes in chaos, and the whispers accusing Iyanu of involvement start to feel like déjà vu.
Each girl is desperate to unravel the mystery of who stole the photos and why. But exposing the truth will change them all forever.
Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz (Putnam)
Izzy Morales has a secret. To celebrate the end of high school, she’s joining her ride-or-die Kassidy and five friends on a 1920s–themed getaway at the glamorous Ashwood Manor. There, the friends party in vintage dresses and expensive diamonds—
Until Kassidy’s boyfriend turns up dead.
Murdered, investigators declare when they arrive at the scene, and now every party guest is a suspect. There’s the girlfriend, in love. The other girl, in despair. The forlorn childhood friend. The shiny new friend. The brooding enigma. And then, there’s Izzy—Izzy and her gold, sharp secret.
The six of them must undergo a grueling interrogation, all while locked in an estate where, suddenly, the greatest luxury is innocence.
Damned If You Do by Alex Brown (Page Street)
Seven years ago, Cordelia Scott’s abusive father left without a word, and life has been normal ever since. The seventeen-year-old spends her days stage managing the school play (which is going great, if anyone asks), pining over her best friend, Veronica, and failing one too many pop quizzes.
She’s never been sad that her father left, but she knows something is...missing. When her school guidance counselor, Fred, reveals during a session that he’s actually a demon, she learns that something is indeed missing: a piece of her actual soul. Why? She unwittingly made a deal with him to make her father disappear – then bargained to have the memory erased. To make matters worse, Fred is here to make another bargain: Help him with a “little” demonic problem, or she’s doomed to spend eternity in Hell with her father.
The deal? Help Fred neutralize a rival demon, who means to do more harm in her hometown than your average demon deal.
There's No Way I'd Die First by Lisa Springer (Delacorte)
Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Thus, who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island?
And with the guest list including the coolest kids in her senior class, her popularity is bound to spike. Hopefully, enough to warrant an expansion into podcasting. Plus, the fact that attractive, singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell is coming is honestly the candy corn on top. Nothing is going to kill her party vibes.
Except...maybe the low-budget It clown she hires to lead a classic round of tag. He's supposed to be terrifying, though in a comforting, nostalgic way. Instead, the guy is giving major creeps. But maybe Noelle's just that good at hosting?
Her confidence is immediately rocked when the night's entertainment axes one of her guests. And he's not done yet. If an evil, murderous clown thinks life is a game, then Noelle is ready to play. She's been waiting a long time to prove that she's a Final Girl.
Nightbreaker by Coco Ma (Viking) - previously titled Deathlings.
Or unless you’re Rei Reynolds.
By day, Rei attends the an elite New York prep school, but by cover of night, she’s is a self-initiated warrior with a knack for hunting Deathlings, the deadly creatures that haunt Manhattan’s subway tunnels and blood-soaked streets at night. All Rei wants is to avenge her parents, who were slaughtered years ago by the nightmarish monsters.
The Tournament is the only path to the career Rei has always dreamed of—becoming a Maverick, the city’s elite Deathling-killing force. Winning should be a breeze, but the one potential problem is fellow competitor Kieran Cross, Rei’s infuriating ex with whom she shares a bitter history. But as the Tournament progresses—and the cutthroat betrayals mount—everything Rei believed about who she can and cannot trust is called into question. She soon becomes the target of everyone who wants to keep the city’s ruling class in power, as well as those who seek to bring it down.
In other words, Rei is positively and completely screwed.
Coco Ma’s exhilarating fantasy blends thrills and chills for an immersive read featuring the snarky, postapocalyptic heroine we all hope to be.
Storm of Olympus by Claire Andrews (Little, Brown) - details not yet updated on Goodreads.
After fighting in the Trojan War against her own people and finally facing the Goddess of Darkness, Nyx, Daphne finds herself stranded on the island of Aeaea, where Circe has spent her days. As Daphne struggles to regain her will to fight as well as rein in the new abilities that have been thrust upon her, she reels from the horrendous sacrifice she had to make and her own failure in the battle for Troy.
Memories plague her–of her family, of her shortcomings, of her lover, Apollo, and the secrets he and the gods keep–and as the days turn into months, she is unable to escape the island and return to the fight against the Titans. The fight that she knows continues on without her, and is ripping the world apart because of her.
As Daphne begins to uncover who she is and what her dangerous and powerful lineage truly means, the hope of entire kingdoms rests on her shoulders. But it has been prophesized that she will bring about the ruin of Olympus and the downfall of Sparta, just as she was the destruction of Troy. Now, as she watches her terrible destiny coming true, she must become a hero to rival those of legends and save the gods, her people, and the world. Or she will watch it all burn around her.
Claire M. Andrews has crafted a jaw-dropping conclusion to an epic series that gives women a powerful place among Greek mythology, flipping the world of gods and goddesses on its head. This breakneck race to the finish line will have readers devouring its pages late into the night with one mind blowing twist after another, in a finale fit for a heroine who rivals any Ancient Greek hero.
Midnight at the Houdini by Delilah S. Dawson (Delacorte)
The night is perfect and glorious and sparkling, too beautiful to be real. Like magic.
Anna may have grown up in glitzy Las Vegas, but she’s determined that no one will ever call her shallow. While her older sister Emily is the star of the family, Anna is the diligent stage manager, making sure that both their lives go perfectly to plan. But when Emily reveals a startling betrayal, Anna flees in the middle of a raging storm and takes shelter in a boutique establishment she’s never seen before: The Houdini.
Inside, Anna discovers a magic hotel . . . and a magical boy. Earnest, curious Max has lived his entire life inside the Houdini. Over the course of one surreal evening, he becomes Anna’s guide to the curious building. For the first time in her life, Anna is center stage, in a place that anticipates her every desire, with a boy who only has eyes for her.
But that’s because the Houdini has no other guests. No one ever enters the Houdini . . . and no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped in the Houdini forever. If Anna's ever going to find out who she is on her own in the real world, she’ll first have to make an impossible escape. But will she be able to do it if it means leaving Max behind?
Every Star That Falls by Michael Thomas Falls (HarperCollins)
Jeff spent 45 days in the psych ward of a hospital after a suicide attempt. Now that he’s home and has accepted the fact that he’s gay, he’s ready to reenter his life feeling stronger and more comfortable being his true self than ever before.
But it’s hard to come back to an old life when you have a new perspective on it. Returning to school is complicated, and his mother’s anxiety isn’t helping. Jeff will also have to figure out how to reconnect with his best friend Allie, whose boyfriend he kissed before he went to the hospital. To make things even more complicated, a fellow patient from the ward suddenly appears at school, which brings up all kinds of mixed emotions for Jeff.
Luckily, he’s got new friends to help him through it all. And some may turn out to be more than just friends…
Phoebe's Diary by Phoebe Wahl (Little, Brown) - YA graphic novel, moved from September 1st, details not yet updated on Goodreads.
Meet Phoebe. She’s cool and insecure, talented and vulnerable, sexy and awkward, driven and confused, ecstatic and tragic.
Like you.
And here is her diary, packed full of invaluable friends and heartbreaking crushes, spectacular playlists and vintage outfits, drama nerds and art kids, old wounds and new love. Based on her own teenage diary, Phoebe Wahl has melded truth with fiction and art with text, casting a spell that brings readers deep into the experience of growing up.
Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer (Wednesday Books)
Wolcott Balestier, the representative of an American book publisher, arrived in London on a singular mission - to contract with English authors for their latest works. When Balestier disappears on the streets of London one day, his great friend - Rudyard Kipling - bursts into Enola's office looking for help in finding him. Brash and unwilling to hire a young woman, instead he turns to Sherlock Holmes. Convinced that evil has befallen Balestier, at the hands of rival American publishers who pirate the works of English authors, he sets the elder Holmes on the trail. But Enola is not one to accept defeat, especially not to her brother, and sets off on her own - determined to learn the truth behind the disappearance of the young American. Can book publishing truly be so ruthless and deadly or can the missing man be rescued from his apparent fate and returned to his friends and loved ones?
The redoubtable is determined to do just that, even if it means working with her brother Sherlock.
Realm of Wonders by Alexandra Monir (Disney Hyperion) - previously titled Queen's Council: Jasmine and moved from 2022.
Jasmine thought that she had earned her happily ever after when she and Aladdin defeated Jafar. Then her beloved father dies and, overnight, all her plans for the future change. Instead of her wedding, she's now planning a funeral and a coronation—her coronation, to become the first woman to rule Agrabah. Jasmine has always been headstrong, but for the first time in her life, she finds herself faltering.
Then from beyond the grave, her father seems to pass along a message: Someone is coming. She must find the book. Before Jasmine can figure out what that means, her claim to the throne is called into question.
Her father's old counsellors decree that the best way to determine the true ruler is a tournament; a series of tests, each one increasing in difficulty—and danger. Now, with help from the mystical Queen's Council, Jasmine must assemble her own team of advisers, win the tournament, and uncover the mystery of her father’s last message, so she can prove to her people—and herself—that she deserves to rule Agrabah.
This magical reimagining of Princess Jasmine blends fairy-tale lore and real history with a Disney twist.
All That Shines by Ellen Hagan (Bloomsbury)
Chloe Brooks has only ever known what it's like to have everything. Her parents' wealth and place in society meant she had all she wanted, and friends everywhere she turned. Until it all crashes down: Her father is arrested in the middle of the night, under investigation for fraud.
Bankrupt and facing foreclosure, Chloe must forgo her lavish summer plans as she and her mom are forced to move into one of the rundown apartments they still own, just outside Lexington, Kentucky. Without her riches, Chloe loses her friends, her comfort, her confidence, and her sense of self, unsure of who she is and if she is even worth anything if she nothing to offer.
To Chloe's surprise, she bonds with her neighbors, Clint, Skye, James, and Natalia, and they introduce her to the side of Kentucky she's long ignored. Her new friends are the only ones who see her for who she truly is, but will they stay by her side once they discover her family's true identity, or will Chloe lose them, too?
In her signature captivating verse, Ellen Hagan encapsulates the hesitant joy of reshaping your identity and rediscovering yourself.
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina and Mel Valentine Vargas (Candlewick) - YA graphic novel re-release, moved from 2024.
It’s
the beginning of sophomore year, and Piedad “Piddy” Sanchez is having a
hard time adjusting to her new high school. Things don’t get any easier
when Piddy learns that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her
ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to
piss her off. Rumor has it that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes
her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latina enough with her white skin,
good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy
better watch her back. At first, Piddy is more concerned with learning
about the father she’s never met, navigating her rocky relationship with
her mom, and staying in touch with her best friend, Mitzi. But when the
harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang takes over Piddy’s
life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off
from those who care about her—or running away? More relevant than ever a
decade after its initial publication, Mel Valentine Vargas’s graphic
novel adaptation of Meg Medina’s ultimately empowering story is poised
to be discovered by a new generation of readers.
Death Is My BFF by Katarina E. Tonks (Wattpad Book) - previously published online, details not yet updated on Goodreads.
Now it's the eve of that special birthday, and Faith has no recollection of that fateful day. But echoes of Death appear in her art--his intense eyes, his intriguing demeanor--and she can't get him out of her head. When he arrives in person, Faith is drawn into an epic supernatural battle where her very existence is questioned at every turn.
To add angst to agony, she meets the infamous David Star at a Halloween party, and he begins to show an interest in her. He's handsome, rich, ambitious, and every girl's dream, but Faith doesn't know if she can trust him.
As Faith learns more about who David
really is, and as Death pushes harder for her soul, an ancient prophecy
emerges. When she discovers the secrets that bind all three together... all hell breaks loose.
The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore (Katherine Tegan Books) - previously titled The Book of Fades.
Not literally, of course. She doesn’t believe in ghosts. Going to her dad’s school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.
But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe—probably—definitely—a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.
When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library’s secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.
Except following her father’s footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren’t just myth. And if she isn’t careful, she’ll be next.
September 12th
The Name Drop by Susan Lee (Inkyard Press)
When Elijah Ri arrives in New York City for an internship at his father’s massive tech company, Haneul Corporation, he expects the royal treatment that comes with being the future CEO—even if that’s the last thing he wants. But instead, he finds himself shuffled into a group of overworked, unpaid interns, all sharing a shoebox apartment for the summer.
When Jessica Lee arrives in New York City, she’s eager to make the most of her internship at Haneul Corporation, even if she’s at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But she’s shocked to be introduced as the new executive-in-training intern with a gorgeous brownstone all to herself.
It doesn’t take long for Elijah and Jessica to discover the source of the mistake: they share the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched—so Elijah can have a relaxing summer away from his controlling dad while Jessica can make the connections she desperately needs for college recommendations.
As Elijah and Jessica work together to keep up the charade, a spark develops between them. Can they avoid discovery—and total disaster—with their feelings and futures on the line?
Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass (Viking)
Dearie and Cole are two popular (but sort of hated) queen bee boys of Stone Grove High School. But when the famed Mr. Sandman (a serial killer from the seventies) returns to their town—killing a fellow member of Queer Club and brutally hurting another—their whole lives change.
And when suspicion falls on Cole, Dearie and Cole will have to do whatever it takes to uncover the real killer, before they and the rest of Queer Club are hunted down. But they’re not getting away from the killer without a fight.
Along the way, their investigation leads them to face the deeper forces trying to tear their friendship apart, and the dark truth of Dearie’s relationship with his ex. When the world is stacked against them, and everyone is a possible suspect, can Dearie and Cole take down Mr. Sandman before it’s too late?
Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson (Heartdrum)
Over-achievement isn’t a bad word—for Berlin, it’s the goal. She’s securing excellent grades, planning her future, and working a part-time job at Pink Mountain Pizza, a legendary local business. Who says she needs a best friend by her side?
Dropping out of high school wasn’t smart—but it was necessary for Cameron. Since his cousin Kiki’s disappearance, it’s hard enough to find the funny side of life, especially when the whole town has forgotten Kiki. To them, she’s just another missing Native girl.
People at school label Jessie a tease, a rich girl—and honestly, she’s both. But Jessie knows she contains multitudes. Maybe her new job crafting pizzas will give her the high-energy outlet she desperately wants.
When the weekend at Pink Mountain Pizza takes unexpected turns,
all three teens will have to acknowledge the various ways they’ve been
hurt—and how much they need each other to hold it all together.
Monstrous by Jessica Lewis (Delacorte) - moved from fall 2022, then from October 2023, previously titled Monster.
Don't go outside past dark. Come straight home after church. And above all—never, ever, go into Red Wood.
These are the rules Latavia’s aunt tells her as soon as she arrives in Sanctum, Alabama for the summer. Weird, but Latavia isn’t here to solve any scary small town mysteries; she’s here for six weeks and six weeks only, and then she’s off to college and won’t look back. Still, Sanctum has its perks—mainly, the cute girl who works at the local ice cream shop.
But Latavia can’t ignore how strange her aunt’s tiny town is. The residents are suspicious of her and at times hostile, and it’s clear she’s some kind of outsider. That’s proven when Latavia is dragged out of her house in the dead of night, into the forbidden Red Wood, and presented as a human sacrifice to an ancient monster.
Latavia won’t be eaten without a fight. She’ll do whatever she has to do to survive—even if that includes making a deal with the monster, endangering her crush and family, and even risk turning into a monster herself.
A Hundred Vicious Turns by Lee Paige O'Brien (Amulet)
Rat Evans, nonbinary heir to one of the oldest magical bloodlines in New York, doesn’t cast spells anymore. For as long as Rat can remember, they’ve been surrounded by doorways no one else sees and corridors that aren’t on any map. Then one day, they opened a passage and found a broken tower in a field of weeds—and something followed them back.
When Rat is accepted into Bellamy Arts, all they want is a place to hide and to make sure they never open another passageway again. But when the only other person who knows what really happened last year—Harker Blakely, the dangerously gifted trans boy who used to be Rat’s closest friend—turns up on campus, Rat begins to realize that Bellamy Arts might not be as safe as they’d thought. And the tower might not be through with them yet.
Soon, Rat finds themself caught in a web of secrets and long-buried magic, with their friend-turned-enemy at their throat. But the closer they come to uncovering the truth about the tower, the further they’re drawn toward the unsettling powers that threaten to swallow them whole.
What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell (Clarion)
Best friends and high school seniors Sadie and Logan make their first mistake when they ditch their end-of-year field trip to the amusement park in favor of exploring some old, forgotten backroads. The last thing they expect to come across is a giant, abandoned corn maze. But with a whole day of playing hooking unspooling before them, they make their second mistake. Or perhaps their third? Maybe even their fourth. Because Sadie and Logan have definitely entered this maze before. And again before that.
When they stumble on the corpses in the maze, identical to them in every way (if you can ignore the stab and gunshot wounds)--from their clothes to their hidden scars to their dyed hair, to that one missing tooth--they quickly realize they’ve not only entered this maze before, they’ve died in it too. A lot. And no matter what they try, they can’t figure out what—or who —is hunting them.
Deeply unnerving, clever, and atmospheric, this time-bending, mind-bending speculative horror is a poignant meditation on the lasting effects of trauma and the healing powers of connection and forgiveness—all while delivering more surprise twists and turns than a haunted corn maze.
Rez Ball by Byron Graves (Heartdrum)
These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team—even though he can’t help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident.
When Jaxon’s former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe reservation all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him.
But stepping into his brother’s shoes as a star player means that Tre can’t mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely not falling in love with.
After decades of rez teams almost making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon’s dreams, their story isn’t over yet.
A heartwarming, insightful, and fast-paced story by a promising new writer!
Goddess Crown by Shade Lapite (Walker Books US) - moved from March 2023.
Kalothia has grown up in the shadows of her kingdom, hidden away in the forested East after her parents were outed as enemies of the king. Raised in a woodland idyll by a few kindly adult caretakers, Kalothia can hunt and fish and fend for herself but knows little of the outside world. When assassins attack her home on her sixteenth birthday, she must flee to the king's court in the West--a beautiful but lethal nest of poison, plots, and danger, overseen by an entrenched patriarchy. Guided by the Goddess herself, can Kalothia navigate this most worldly of places to find her own role? What if she must choose between her country and her heart? Excitement, romance, and a charismatic heroine shine in this first book set in the unforgettable kingdom of Galla.
The Borrow a Boyfriend Club by Page Powars (Delacorte) - moved from June 2023.
Noah Byrd is the perfect boy. At least, that’s
what he needs to convince his new classmates of to prove his gender. His
plan? Join the school’s illustrious (and secret) Borrow a Boyfriend
Club, whose members rent themselves out for dates. Once he’s accepted
among the bros, the “slip-ups” end.
But Noah’s interview is a
flop. Desperate, he strikes a deal with the club’s prickly but
attractive president, Asher. Noah will help them win an annual talent
show—and in return, he’ll get a second shot to demonstrate his boyfriend
skills in a series of tests that include romancing Asher himself.
If Noah can’t bring home the win, his best chance to prove that he’s man enough is gone. Yet even if he succeeds, he still loses
. . . because the most important rule of the Borrow a Boyfriend Club is
simple: no real boyfriends (or girlfriends) allowed.
And as long
as the club remains standing as high as Asher’s man bun, Noah and Asher
can never explore their growing feelings for one another.
When a Brown Girl Flees by Aamna Qureshi (Tu Books) - moved from Spring 2023, release date not yet updated on Goodreads.
On Long Island, Zahra stays at a bed & breakfast, unsure of her place in the world. Anxious, depressed, and grappling with guilt, she wanders aimlessly. She eventually visits the local masjid, where she is befriended by two sisters and drawn into the welcoming Muslim community there.
It is in this place of safety that Zahra’s healing truly begins—but can she create a home for herself when the foundation is built on lies she’s spun to protect her from the past? When a family friend recognizes her, will everything come crashing down? As Zahra tries to build a life for herself in this new place, the heart of the matter becomes clear: she can’t run away forever. Can she close the rift in her family and truly, fully heal?
In this powerful novel from new voice Aamna Qureshi, a Muslim
teen goes on a breathtaking journey to find her home and—more
importantly—herself.
Fault Lines by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Running Press)
Ever since her aunt died four months ago, seventeen-year-old Vivian (Viv) Spry is aching to figure out where she belongs. Her father has become emotionally distant and even her best friend has found a new sense of identity in her theater group. Unfortunately, nobody in her rural West Virginia town has time for an assertive, angry girl, especially a girl dubbed “Ice Queen” for refusing to sleep with her popular boyfriend. On top of everything, she discovers a strange ability to sense energy that really freaks her out. The only place Viv feels like it’s safe to be her true self is the tree stand where her aunt taught her to hunt. It's the one place she still feels connected to the person who knew her best. So when fracking destroys the stand and almost kills her, Viv vows to find a way to take the gas company down.
When Dex Matthews comes to town—a new kid whose mom lands a job laying pipeline—his and Viv's worlds collide and a friendship (and maybe more?) slowly blossoms. But Viv’s plan to sabotage the pipeline company could result in Dex’s mom losing her job, putting them on the streets. Now Viv and Dex have to decide what’s worth fighting for—their families, their principles, or each other.
The Prince & the Coyote by David Bowles and Amanda Mijangos (Levine Querido)
Fifteen-year old crown prince Acolmiztli wants nothing more than to see his city-state of Tetzcoco thrive. A singer, poet, and burgeoning philosophical mind, he has big plans about infrastructure projects and cultural initiatives that will bring honor to his family and help his people flourish. But the two sides of his family, the kingdoms of Mexico and Acolhuacan, have been at war his entire life – after his father risked the wrath of the Tepanec emperor to win his mother's love.
When a power struggle leaves his father dead and his mother and siblings in exile, Acolmiztli must run for his life, seeking refuge in the wilderness. After a coyote helps him find his way in the wild, he takes on a new name – Nezahualcoyotl, or "fasting coyote" ("Neza" for short).
Biding his time until he can form new alliances and reconnect with his family, Neza goes undercover, and falls in love with a commoner girl, Sekalli. Can Neza survive his plotting uncles' scheme to wipe out his line for good? Will the empire he dreams of in Tetzcoco ever come to life? And is he willing to risk the lives of those he loves in the process?
This action-packed tale blends prose and poetry – including translations of surviving poems by Nezahualcoytl himself, translated from classical Nahuatl by the author. And the book is packed with queer rep – queer love stories, and a thoughtful of pre-Columbian understandings of gender that defy the contemporary Western gender binary.
From Pura Belpré honoree David Bowles comes a young adult epic about one of the greatest minds of the Americas (honored to this day on Mexico's 100-peso bill).
The Boy from Clearwater by Yu Pei-Yun and Zhou Jian-Xi (Levine Querido) - YA graphic memoir.
Tsai Kun-lin, an ordinary boy was born in Qingshui, Taichung in 1930s Taiwan. In part 1 Tsai, in concert with the beautiful illustrations of Chou Jian-xin, depicts a carefree childhood despite the Japanese growing up happily with the company of nursery rhymes and picture books on Qingshui Street. As war emerges Tsai’s memories shift to military parades, air raids, and watching others face conscription into the army. It seems no one can escape. After the war, the book-loving teenager tries hard to learn Mandarin and believes he is finally stepping towards a comfortable future, but little does he know, a dark cloud awaits him ahead.
Part 2 opens with Illustrations reminiscent of woodcuts showing the soul-crushing experience of Tsai’s detention and imprisonment. In his second year at Taichung First Senior High School, Tsai attends a book club hosted by his teacher and is consequently arrested on a false charge of taking part in an “illegal” assembly. After being tortured, he is sentenced to ten years in prison, deprived of civil rights for seven years, and sent to Green Island for “reformation”. Lasting until his release in September 1960, Tsai, a victim of the White Terror era spent ten years of his youth in prison on an unjust charge. But he is ready to embrace freedom.
See You on Venus by Victoria Vinuesa (Delacorte) - moved from 2024.
Mia has had a heart condition her whole life. She's not afraid of dying but something has always stopped her from her biggest fear: tracking down her biological mother in Spain...until now. Before her next surgery, Mia wants to meet the woman who gave her away once and for all.
Kyle has always been the life of the party...that was until the car accident that killed his best friend. Since then he's been reeling with guilt and willing to do just about anything to escape his reality.
After a twist of fate, Mia and Kyle meet and make the decision to travel to Spain together in search of answers they both desperately need to mend their broken hearts...but did the universe bind them together to change how they feel about death and love forever?
September 15th
In the Ring by Sierra Isley (PISH) - moved from October 2023, not clear if this is a final release date.
Rose can’t help but think of Elliott—maybe if she could punch like him, she’d feel safer... stronger. As their worlds intertwine, Rose and Elliott are forced to face their most daunting opponent outside the Ring: their growing feelings for each other.
Surrounded by violence and destruction, Rose’s anxiety begins to spiral. Will her newfound physical strength keep her grounded in reality, or is she doomed to suffer the same fate as her mother?
September 19th
How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok (Little, Brown)
Then, a year later, the unthinkable happens. Iris’s ex-girlfriend, Heather, goes missing, too—just after dropping the polarizing last episode of her true crime podcast all about Iris’s sister. This time, nothing will stop Iris and her amateur sleuthing agency from solving these disappearances.
But with a suspicious detective watching her every move, an enemy-turned-friend-turned-maybe-more to contend with, and only thirty days until she turns eighteen, it’s a race against the clock for Iris to solve the most dangerous case of her life.
Shadow Coven by S. Isabelle (Scholastic)
After defeating the Wolves, Jailah, Logan, Iris, and Thalia want nothing more than a summer of fun and relaxation. But there is no rest for the wicked, especially when Death comes for Iris. She is to become a Reaper, tasked with banishing souls who refuse to cross over. But Iris suspects there’s something more ominous going on when Mathew’s role as her tether grows sinister.
Logan and Thalia are ready to prove themselves as witches. Except Logan still hears the howling Wolves and realizes that the Haunting Season may have awakened more than just her magic. And while Thalia wants to spend her days cleansing the Swamp for good, she finds herself heading to a place she swore she’d never go again: home. Witches have started going missing near Annex, and Thalia is convinced that her father is behind the disappearances. With the help of Logan and Trent, Thalia returns to stop him.
Meanwhile, Jailah is focused on her internship with the Haelsford Witchery Council until she discovers a treacherous magic hidden beneath Mesmortes, and there are those who will go to great lengths to keep it buried. So, she turns to the only person who understands, even if it’s the one witch who hates her most.
Separated by distance, the coven is surrounded by magical and mundane threats that must be defeated before they lose their witchery--and each other--forever...
A Prayer for Vengeance by Leanne Schwartz (Page Street)
Centuries later, autistic Milo lovingly tends Gia’s statue. He hopes to earn a place in the temple of Ennio, the immortal protector. When Milo’s prayers free Gia from Ennio’s curse, she awakens to a world that worships the man who betrayed her. Now she must break the city’s faith in Ennio and avenge her sister.
Even if she has to kill his followers to do it. Even if she must hunt the boy who woke her.
A Crown So Cursed by L. L. McKinney (Imprint) - moved from February 2023, then from April 2023, release date confirmed by publisher but not yet updated on Goodreads.
Alice and the gang are trying to recover from recent events—but members of her crew start having weird dreams. The same dreams. It seems the evil in Wonderland may not be as defeated as they thought—because someone's building an army of Nightmares to attack the mortal world. But before Alice jumps into battle, she discovers she has a personal connection to Wonderland, and she must face what it means for the fight ahead.
The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie (Wednesday Books)
"Grandmère, tell me again the story of how I die."
The Midnight Forest. The Fanged Creature. Two fortune-telling cards that spell an untimely death for 17-year-old Clara. Despite the ever-present warning from her fortune-teller grandmother, Clara embarks on a dangerous journey into the deadly Forest Grimm to procure a magical book—Sortes Fortunae, the Book of Fortunes—with the power to reverse the curse on her village and save her mother.
Years ago, when the villagers whispered their deepest desires to the book, its pages revealed how to obtain them. All was well until someone used the book for an evil purpose—to kill another person. Afterward, the branches of the Forest Grimm snatched the book away, the well water in Grimm’s Hollow turned rancid, and the crops died from disease. The villagers tried to make amends with the forest, but every time someone crossed its border, they never returned.
Now, left with no alternative, Clara and her close friend, Axel—who is fated never to be with her—have set their minds to defying fate and daring to accomplish what no one else has been able to before. But the forest—alive with dark, deadly twists on some of our most well-known fairy tales—has a mind of its own.
Of Dreams and Destiny by Sandhya Menon (Simon Pulse) - moved from February 2022.
It’s senior year, and Daphne Elizabeth “DE” McKinley, the heiress to the McKinley hotel dynasty, is still licking her wounds after a painful breakup. She’s determined to keep her head down and her heart shuttered—even from new student Xander, no matter how dreamy he is.
Then Rosetta Academy is swallowed up by a sudden and massive spring storm, and very strange things start happening. The students start to fall into a stupor, then a deep sleep…one by one. Soon, DE is racing against the clock to find the source of the strange spell and stop it before it claims the entire school. Could Xander’s help be the key to solving the mystery?
All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr (Abrams) - previously titled Call Him By Name, release date not yet updated on Goodreads.
Told through court transcripts, journal entries, and poetry, ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS centers the many different avenues to healing, strength of self, and leaning on those you love. The novel will appeal to fans of Joy McCullough's BLOOD WATER PAINT and Elizabeth Acevedo's THE POET X and has tonal similarities to HBO's I MAY DESTROY YOU.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (HarperTeen) - moved from Winter 2022, then from Summer 2022, then from September 1st.
Effy’s tattered, dog-eared copy is all that’s keeping her afloat through her stifling first term at Llyr’s prestigious architecture college. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to design the late author’s house, Effy fells certain this is her destiny.
But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn’t the only one who’s made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin’s papers and is determined to prove her favorite author is a fraud.
As the two rival students investigate the reclusive author’s legacy, piecing together clues through his letters, books, and diaries, they discover that the house’s foundation isn’t the only thing that can’t be trusted. There are dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspiring against them - and the truth may bring them both to ruin.
Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake (HarperTeen) - moved from 2022.
In this sweeping fantasy perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Stephanie Garber, Kendare Blake introduces a new heroine: Reed, the Aristene-in-training. The Aristene are hero-makers. Time and again, the women who make up this fabled order champion fighters to win wars for the glory of their goddess.
After Reed was orphaned, the Aristene took her in. Now she’s an initiate, finally ready to take her place beside her sisters-in-arms. There’s just one task in Reed’s way: she must lead her first hero to a great victory. Succeed, and she’ll officially join the Aristene. Fail, and Reed will be cast out from the only home she’s ever known.
Nothing is going to stop Reed from joining the order. But her
infuriatingly charming hero is nothing like she expected. When her
feelings take her by surprise, Reed is faced with a decision: fulfill
her destiny as an Aristene, or forge a new path to an unknown future.
The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven (Delacorte) - originally published in the UK.
Ten years ago, four students lost their lives in the infamous North Tower murders at the elite Carvell College of Arts, forcing Carvell to close its doors.
Now Carvell is reopening, and fearless freshman Lottie is determined to find out what really happened. But when her beautiful but standoffish roommate, Alice, stumbles upon a sinister soul-splitting ritual hidden in Carvell's haunted library, the North Tower claims another victim.
Can Lottie uncover the truth before the North Tower strikes again? Can Alice reverse the ritual before her monstrous alter ego consumes her? And will they give in to the ill-fated attraction that's growing between them?
Exploring possession and ambition, lust and bloodlust, femininity and violence, The Society of Soulless Girls is perfect for fans of The Secret History, A Lesson in Vengeance, and The Grimrose Girls.
The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie (Dutton)
For July Fielding, nothing has been the same since that summer before her senior year. Or that late-August night at the jump.
Before, she had Alex to be her loyal bestie, always up for playing endless rounds of mini golf or trying every ice cream flavor at local favorite Verity. She had Sydney, who pushed her during every sweaty and wonderful cross country run, and who sometimes seemed to know July better than she knew herself. And she had Sam. Sam, who told her she was everything and left her breathless with his kisses.
Now, July is alone. Every single person in her small town of Lithia has disappeared. No family. No Alex or Sydney. No Sam. July’s only chance at unraveling the mystery of their disappearance is a series of objects, each a reminder of the people she loved most. And a recurring message that begins to appear all over town: GET TH3M BACK.
With sharp, poetically visceral prose that grabs you by the heart and refuses to let go, New York Times bestselling author Ally Condie makes her contemporary-YA debut with a searingly candid, breathless novel that perfectly distills the messy, beautiful realities of growing up, growing apart, and the courageous act of self-discovery.
The Broke Hearts by Matt Mendez (Antheneum) - moved from July 2023.
A year after losing their best friend, JD and Danny are still brokenhearted. JD’s impetuous decision to join the Air Force only makes him yearn for “before” more than ever. Danny, who’d rather paint murals than open a book and certainly never thought of himself as college material, makes the equally impulsive choice to do what Juan will never be able to and enrolls in a community college.
Danny’s father, The Sarge, is proud of him for the first time ever for living out Sarge’s own dream of being a first-generation college student, but Danny can’t shake the thought that it should be Juan, not him. And studying hasn’t gotten any easier for him despite his new academic goals. When Danny is on the verge of flunking out and JD gets notified of imminent deployment, the two are forced to confront their shared grief that led them to these paths. Can they learn to live lives that are their own in honor of Juan, rather than for him?
Layers by Pénélope Bagieu (First Second) - YA graphic memior.
Pénélope Bagieu never thought she'd publish a graphic memoir. But when she dust off her old diaries (no, really—this book is based on her actual diaries), she found cringe-worth, hilarious, and heartbreaking stories begging to be drawn.
In Layers, Bagieu reflects on her childhood and teen years with her characteristic wit and unflinching honesty. The result is fifteen short stories about friendship, love, grief, and those awkward first steps toward adulthood.
The Collectors by Various YA Authors (Dutton)
From
David Levithan’s story about a non-binary kid collecting pieces of
other people’s collections to Jenny Torres Sanchez’s tale of a girl
gathering types of fire while trying not to get burned to G. Neri’s
piece about 1970’s skaters seeking opportunities to go vertical—anything
can be collected and in the hands of these award-winning and
bestselling authors, any collection can tell a story. Nine of the best
YA novelists working today have written fiction based on a prompt from
Printz-winner A.S. King (who also contributes a story) and the result is
itself an extraordinary collection.
September 26th
A British Girl's Guide to Hurricaines and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey (Atheneum) - US release data announced on instagram but not yet updated on Goodreads.
In this highly anticipated companion to the New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club YA Pick A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, Flora Maxwell heads to Miami to find a path for her future . . . and finds her heart along the way.
Winchester has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies,
Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university
and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so
sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic 'hurricane' in her household,
and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions. So she
decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone – especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace.
But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn't cast away her
self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions
she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad
lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami
Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted
than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light.
If I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun (HarperCollins) - moved from June 2023.
Cara Tang doesn’t want to be haunted.
Look, the dead have issues, and Cara has enough of her own. Her overbearing mother insists she be the “perfect” Chinese American daughter—which means suppressing her ghost speaking powers—and she keeps getting into fights with Zacharias Coleson, the local golden boy whose smirk makes her want to set things on fire.
Then she stumbles across Zach’s dead body in the woods. He’s even more infuriating as a ghost, but Cara’s the only one who can see him—and save him.
Agreeing to resurrect him puts her at odds with her mother, draws her into a dangerous liminal world of monsters and magic—and worse, leaves her stuck with Zach. Yet as she and Zach grow closer, forced to depend on each other to survive, Cara finds the most terrifying thing is that she might not hate him so much after all.
Maybe this is why her mother warned her about ghosts.
Delightful and compulsively readable, this contemporary fantasy
features a snarky voice, a magnetic enemies-to-lovers romance, and a
spirited adventure through a magical, unpredictable world hidden within
our own.
The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin (HarperCollins) - moved from November 2022, then from Septembert 5th.
A Grim and Sunken Vow by Ashley Shuttleworth (Margaret K. McElderry Books) - moved from 2022.
A heartless assassin...
A stoic general of war...
A scheming king...
A prince caught between hope and ruin...
A legend reborn.
After the events of the Summer Solstice, and horrific loss and devastating truths brought to light, Arlo, Vehan, Aurelian, Nausicaa, and Celadon's lives are irrevocably changed.
Caught in the cruel clutches of their new High Queen, the entirety of the Eight Great Courts now under her control, it might not be the best of who Arlo and her friends are that will help them survive a world of Riadne's devising; it might be that, in order to prevent the resurrection of alchemy's most terrible power, they'll have to play Riadne's game on her level...
...and become the very worst of who each of them have the potential to be.
Hero, or villain?
Which will they choose--and what will be the cost.
Mermaids Never Drown: Tales to Dive For by Various YA Authors (Feiwel and Friends)
14
Young Adult short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors
make a splash in
Mermaids Never Drown -
the second collection in the Untold Legends series edited by Zoraida
Córdova and Natalie C. Parker - exploring mermaids like we've never seen
them before!
A
Vietnamese mermaid caught between two worlds. A siren who falls for
Poseidon's son. A boy secretly pining for the merboy who saved him years
ago. A storm that brings humans and mermaids together. Generations of
family secrets and pain.
Find all these stories and more in this
gripping new collection that will reel you in from the very first page!
Welcome to an ocean of hurt, fear, confusion, rage, hope, humor,
discovery, and love in its many forms.
Edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Mermaids Never Drown
features beloved authors like Darcie Little Badger, Kalynn Bayron,
Preeti Chhibber, Rebecca Coffindaffer, Julie C. Dao, Maggie Tokuda-Hall,
Adriana Herrera, June Hur, Katherine Locke, Kerri Maniscalco, Julie
Murphy, Gretchen Schreiber, and Julian Winters.
Down Came the Rain by Jennifer Mathieu (Roaring Brook Press)
After Eliza’s home in Houston is destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, she is forced to transfer to Southwest High School. Traumatized by the floods and anxious in her new surroundings, Eliza throws herself into environmental activism, even if it's against the wishes of her big-oil dad.
But when she meets Javi – a boy who has experienced climate-related trauma of his own – she's finally able to connect with someone over the devastating mental effects of ecological disaster.
Filled with nuanced themes of mental health, classism, and eco-anxiety, Down Came the Rain is a riveting and moving tale of friendship, first love, and what it means to grow up in an ever-changing world.
Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons (Tor Teen) - moved from Spring 2023, then from October 2023, release date not yet updated on Goodreads.
Four years ago, five kids started a game. Only four survived.
Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Dax, Maddy, Emerson, and Owen—have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead.
Together they return to the tunnel where their friendship ended with one goal: find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished—an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.
As soon as they begin, they're dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen's grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules:
They have one night to complete seven challenges or all of them, Ian included, will be stuck in this world forever.
Once inseparable, the survivors now can’t stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices—blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.
And once again, not everyone will make it out of Meido alive.
Firsts and Lasts by Various YA Authors (Penguin Workshop)
From first breakups and romantic vampire encounters to last band performances and the deadly end of a friendship, Firsts and Lasts is an anthology that is just as unpredictable as being a teenager. While each of these stories span different genres and styles, they all perfectly capture the big emotions--confusion, joy, uneasiness, and anticipation--that many teens experience as they grow up.
Whether you are hopelessly in love and not sure how to tell your crush, going through loss and can't fully process it, or just trying to figure out where you belong in the world, this collection of sixteen stories has something for every reader.
Stories written by: Adi Alsaid, Keah Brown, Monica Gomez-Hira, Kika Hatzopoulou, Shaun David Hutchinson, Amanda Joy, Loan Le, Joy McCullough, Yamile Saied Mendez, Anna Meriano, Nina Moreno, Tess Sharpe, Laura Silverman, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Diana Urban, and Julian Winters.
The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde (Feiwel and Friends)
Face front. Watch your back. BE BRAVE.
If it was left to her, Ife Adebola wouldn’t be starting at Nithercott School. Because despite being in the Urban Achievers scholarship program, her parents can barely afford the tuition. No matter who, like her classmate Bijal, is trying to be friends with her or how much the prestigious boarding school tries to pull her in, Ife is determined not to get caught up in any of it.
But when another student, Malika, begins acting strange, Ife can’t help but wonder if there’s more going on at Nithercott than she realizes. Could there be any truth to the school’s decades-old legend of the Changing Man? Is there any connection to the missing older brother of her classmate, Ben?
As more questions arise, Ife has no choice but to team up with Ben and Bijal to investigate. But can the trio act quickly enough to uncover who is behind everything, before one—or all—of them is the Changing Man’s next victim?
A Pretty Implausible Premise by Karen Rivers (Algonquin) - moved from July 2022, then April 2023.
When Hattie and Presley meet, it’s basically love at first sight. Their connection seems, at first, as implausible as the bestselling and famously far-fetched novel that Presley’s mom wrote. It starts to seem impossible when they realize what they have in common: both are grieving, living in worlds haunted by ghosts. Hattie gave up on her future as an Olympic swimmer after a boy drowned while she was on lifeguard duty; Presley abandoned his figure-skating career when his twin brother died in a car accident. They find comfort in each other, but like the wildfires that surround their California town, the ghosts from their pasts can’t be held off for long.
A Pretty Implausible Premise is an immersive story about grief, forgiveness, and the surprising power of first love.
Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph (Wednesday Books)
This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson (Roaring Brook Press) - previously dated February 2023, then moved from September 1st, then from September 5th.
The Rusel family is famous throughout Enderlain as breeders of enchanted horses, but their prestige is no match for their rising debts. To help pay off the sum, Mikira Rusel is left with only one option: she must enter the Illinir, a cutthroat, cross-country horserace known for its high death rate as much as its flashy prize money.
To have any chance of success, she’ll have to recruit a young, black-market enchanter named Ari, as well as a Lord in the midst of a succession battle, Damien Adair. Both her accomplices have reasons of their own to help Mikira - and their own blood feuds to avenge.
In a world as dangerous as this, will hidden agendas and conflicting desires butcher their chances of winning the Illinir. . . or will another rider's dagger?
A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford (Inkyard Press) - previously titled The Girl With Three Faces.
Princess Imogen of Goslind has lived a sheltered life for three years at the boarded-up castle—she and the rest of its inhabitants safe from the bloody mori roja plague that’s ravaged the kingdom. But Princess Imogen has a secret, and as King Stuart descends further into madness, it’s at great risk of being revealed. Rations dwindle each day, and unhappy murmurings threaten to crack the facade of the years-long charade being played within the castle walls.
Nico Mott once enjoyed a comfortable life of status, but the plague took everyone and everything from him. If not for the generosity of a nearby lord, Nico may not have survived the mori roja’s aftermath. But does owing Lord Crane his life mean he owes him his silence?
When Lord Crane sends Nico to search for more plague survivors in the castle, Nico collides with a princess who wants to break out. They will each have to navigate the web of lies they’ve woven if they’re going to survive the nightmares that lie ahead.
Thieves' Gambit by Kaviyon Lewis (Nancy Paulson Books) - moved from October 2023.
At only
seventeen years old, Ross Quest is already a master thief, especially
adept at escape plans. Until her plan to run away from her legendary
family of thieves takes an unexpected turn, leaving her mother’s life
hanging in the balance.
In a desperate bid, she enters the
Thieves’ Gambit, a series of dangerous, international heists where
killing the competition isn’t exactly off limits, but the grand prize is
a wish for anything in the world—a wish that could save her mom. When
she learns two of her competitors include her childhood nemesis and a
handsome, smooth-talking guy who might also want to steal her heart,
winning the Gambit becomes trickier than she imagined.
Ross tries
her best to stick to the family creed: trust no one whose last name
isn’t Quest. But with the stakes this high, Ross will have to decide who
to con and who to trust before time runs out. After all, only one of
them can win.
Roses & Violets by Gry Kappel Jensen (Arctis Books USA) - previously published in Denmark.
Four girls from very different backgrounds are making their way to the mysterious Rosewood Boarding School from different corners of the country. The one thing they have in common is the strange offer they have received to apply for a place at what will turn out to be a school for magic, deeply embedded in Nordic mythology, nature magic and shamanism. The girls have been invited to apply for a reason that is as yet unknown to themselves, but already during the unorthodox application tests, it becomes apparent that a spirit is trying to establish contact with the girls. It turns out that a young girl was murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1980s and the killer was never found. Her spirit is still haunting the place, and she is now urging the four girls to bring justice and find the killer. But someone is keeping an eye on them and it quickly becomes clear that their lives are in danger.
Running Past Dark by Han Nolan (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
What happens to the twin left behind?
Scottie O’Doul isn’t looking forward to starting her senior year. Last May, her identical twin sister, Cait, died in a car crash involving the school’s beloved football coach. There’s been no official report on the accident yet, but before she died, Cait told Scottie a disturbing secret. When Scottie reveals this secret, half the town turns against her, certain that Scottie is lying to protect her sister and that Cait deliberately lost control of the car.
Scottie knows her twin would never take her own life, or someone else’s, but how can she prove it? As she faces bullying and hostility at school, she starts to wonder if what Cait said was even true. Turning to running to break through her grief, Scottie finds a new world and a new sense of self outside her twinness. She also reconnects with her old boyfriend, who had a terrible accident of his own the same day Cait died. Could there be a connection?
As she runs mile after mile, Scottie keeps trying to fit the jigsaw pieces together and find the true picture of what happened to Cait and what was really going on at school before the crash.
Mall Goth by Kate Leth (Simon and Schuster) - YA graphic novel, moved from 2022, details not yet changed on Goodreads.
Liv Holme is not exactly thrilled to be moving to a new town with her mother. After all, high school can be brutal, even more so when you’re a fifteen-year-old, bisexual goth. But Liv is determined to be who she is, bullies or not. Still, being the new kid and the only out student brings her a lot of unwelcome attention, and Liv flounders in her search for community. The only person who makes time for her is one of teachers, but Liv isn’t sure how to feel about the way he behaves toward her.
Thankfully, she’s found the perfect escape: the mall. Under its fluorescent lights, Liv feels far away from her parents’ strained marriage and the peers who don’t understand her. Amid the bright storefronts, food court smell, and anonymous shoppers, Liv is safely one of the crowd and can enjoy the feeling of calling the shots in her own life for once.
With the help of her suburban refuge, Liv sets off on a journey of self-acceptance and learns to navigate the ups and downs of high school and to recognize true friendship.
Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong (Simon and Schuster)
Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: she’s been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, she’s barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She won’t rest until she gets him back.
But with her identity in the open, the task is near impossible. The only way to leave the city and rescue Orion is under the guise of a national tour. It’s easy to convince her superiors that the countryside needs unity more than ever, and who better than an immortal girl to stir pride and strength into the people?
When the tour goes wrong, however, everything Rosalind once knew is thrown up in the air. Taking refuge outside Shanghai, old ghosts come into the open and adversaries turn to allies. To save Orion, they must find a cure to his mother’s traitorous invention and take this dangerous chemical weapon away from impending foreign invasion—but the clock is ticking, and if Rosalind fails, it’s not only Orion she loses, but her nation itself.
Cage of Dreams by Rebecca Shaeffer (Clarion Books)
Nineteen-year-old Ness used to have a vehement terror of Nightmares--people who'd been turned into their worst fears while they slept. Through two assassination attempts, an explosion, and a faustian bargain with a dream demon, she's finally working through those fears.
Unfortunately, Nightmares aren't the only dangerous thing in Newham. Working at a speakeasy where gunfights are common and death is a regular occurrence, Ness is forced to reckon with all her other fears--including her fear of mortality. It's easy to die in Newham, but it's hard to live.
So when the Nightmare Phantom--the monster that turns people into Nightmares--shows up, asking her another favor, she agrees, but only if he turns her into a Nightmare. One of her own choosing, something bullet proof and strong and able to live without fear.
But when Ness's attempt to fulfill the bargain goes wrong, things start to spiral out of control. Now, Ness is in the crosshairs of enemies old and new, and this time, she can't run from her problems. If she wants to survive, she's going to have to conquer the most difficult enemy of all: herself.
For Girls Who Walk Through Fire by Kim DeRose (Union Square Kids) - moved from 2024.
Elliott D’Angelo-Brandt is sick and tired of putting up with it all. Every week, she attends a support group for teen victims of sexual assault, but all they do is talk. Elliott’s done with talking. What she wants is justice.
And she has a plan for getting it: a spell book that she found in her late mom’s belongings that actually works. Elliott recruits a coven of fellow survivors from the group. She, Madeline, Chloe, and Bea don’t have much in common, but they are united in their rage at a system that heaps judgments on victims and never seems to punish those who deserve it.
As they each take a turn casting a hex against their unrepentant assailants, the girls find themselves leaning on each other in ways they never expected—and realizing that revenge has heavy implications. Each member of the coven will have to make a choice: continue down the path of magical vigilantism or discover what it truly means to claim their power.
For Girls Who Walk Through Fire is a fierce, deeply moving novel about perseverance in the face of injustice and the transformational power of friendship.
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