On The Booked Shelf today we’re in conversation with Gabe Cole Novoa, author of Latine YA Historical Fantasy THE WICKED BARGAIN, which Publishers Weekly has called a “swashbuckling tale brimming with sorcery” set during the 1820’s among the Caribbean.
The novel released on February 28, 2023 and if you’d like to learn more about this YA fantasy featuring a trans masc non-binary protagonist, read below!
Where did the idea for THE WICKED BARGAIN come from?
Cole Novoa: The short answer: I wanted to write about queer pirates
The long answer: I wanted to write about queer pirates and was inspired by a couple “deal with the devil” stories I came across while researching Mexican myths. It occurred to me that a deal with the devil story would meld nicely with a pirate story, and the rest all came together quickly.
What did you love most about writing this novel?
Cole Novoa: Something that was really special to me about this book was not only writing a trans protagonist, but writing a trans protagonist who uses they/them pronouns in a third person POV. This felt really significant to me because it gave me the opportunity to help normalize using they/them pronouns, and I hope people who aren’t used to using gender neutral pronouns may feel a little more comfortable with it by the end of the book. I also hope people who use they/them pronouns for themselves might feel seen in a way that’s currently somewhat difficult to find in books.
Were there any pieces of historical research involved in writing TWB that stood out to you during the drafting or editing process?
Cole Novoa: There was! I didn’t know a ton about the 1800s when I first began brainstorming the book, so I certainly did a decent amount of research around the history of the Caribbean and Latin America as a whole in the 1800s, the clothes people wore, food they ate, weapons technology they had, etc. I also read up on pirates which was really fun and I learned a bunch of cool facts! I think the most interesting bit to me was learning about the different strategies pirates used to steal from merchants—and how easy it was, especially at first, because merchant ships were largely unguarded!
The story is set during the 1820’s in the Caribbean! What was it like exploring this setting through a fantasy lens and what’s important to you when worldbuilding YA fantasy?
Cole Novoa: I’ve come to realize I really enjoy writing (and reading) historical fantasy because it asks me to reimagine a time period with, well, magic! This gave me an opportunity to shine a light on an incredibly important time in the Caribbean and Latin America’s history, while also considering what it might be like for someone with magic to live during such a tumultuous time. As for the second part of that question, whenever I’m worldbuilding with magic the first thing I think about are the rules of magic and how society is framed around that magic. In The Wicked Bargain most of society doesn’t know about magic (and those that do believe in magic think it’s evil) so that was a little easier in the sense that I took an existing framework and considered the dangers to someone living in that kind of society. Other times, when I’m working on a book where society is largely aware of magic, I think about how that magic would influence culture, development of technology, how people see the world, etc. It can be a really cool process!
Its always great to see more LGBTQ+ rep in fantasy! What did you enjoy the most about writing a trans masc non-binary pirate MC?
Cole Novoa: I really loved being able to write a trans person as a hero in a book that wasn’t about being trans. There’s nothing that I enjoy reading more than magical queers, and it was such a blast to write a protagonist whose experience with their gender and body was familiar to me having a magic-filled adventure.
In 3-5 words what can readers expect from THE WICKED BARGAIN?
Cole Novoa: Pirates, demons, magic, much queerness
Author Bio: Gabe Cole Novoa (he/him) is a Latinx transmasculine author who writes speculative fiction featuring marginalized characters grappling with identity. Now leveled up with an MFA in Writing for Children, when he isn’t being nerdy at his day job, or buried under his TBR pile, you’ll likely find him making heart-eyes at the latest snazzy outfit he wants to add to his wardrobe. Gabe is the author of The Wicked Bargain (out Feb 2023), an untitled Pride & Prejudice retelling (Winter 2024), and the Beyond the Red trilogy
Here at The Booked Shelf were are so honored to be sharing the cover to YA debut author Angela Montoya’s fantasy romance novel, Sinner’s Isle releasing Fall 2023! In this spellbinding tale, a powerful witch is held on a remote island, desperate to escape and a charming pirate prince finds himself marooned on the witch’s island home. Soon the pirate and witch are forced to work together to outwit their enemies, but more importantly escape, before its too late.
Rosalinda is trapped in Sinner’s Isle, where young women known as Majestics, beautiful witches with dangerous magic, are both loathed by society yet coveted by powerful men who wish to use them. Under the watchful eye of her power-hungry headmistress, Rosa’s certain her phantom magic makes her most favored at this year’s Offering, a fiesta for the wealthy to engage in drink, damsels, debauchery and where Majestics’ powers are put on display…for the wealthy choose a witch to serve them for life.
Mariano, the Prince of Pirates, has spent his entire life sailing the high seas. That is until, the king’s fleet attacks his ship, leaving him marooned on Sinner’s Isle, with his late mother’s enchanted chain meant to guide him to his heart’s desire. Before he can loot the isle of its vast riches and be on his merry way, Rosalinda steals his amulet and holds it ransom. Her price for its return? Let her escape the Isle with Mariano before the Offering’s end. As they attempt to outwit each other and their enemies, the pirate prince has found himself a (brazen) bewitching headache.
Now without further ado, the cover, illustrated by Zarin Baksh (@nir4z):
Cover Illustrator / Artist: Zarin Baksh – Publisher: Joy Revolution (Penguin Random House)
Rosalinda is trapped on Sinner’s Isle, an island filled with young women like her—Majestics, beautiful witches loathed by society for their dangerous magic yet revered by powerful men who want to use them.
For years, she has been kept under the watchful, calculating eye of Doña Lucia. Now eighteen, Rosa will be the prized commodity at this year’s Offering, a fiesta for the wealthy to engage in drink, damsels, and debauchery. That is why she must flee—before someone forces the vicious phantoms within her to destroy everything she touches.
Handsome, swashbuckling Mariano has long sailed the high seas as the Prince of Pirates. Then the king’s fleet attacks his father’s infamous ship, leaving him marooned on Sinner’s Isle with only an enchanted chain meant to lead him to his heart’s desire. Instead, he falls into the hands of a brazen (although) bewitching headache—Rosa.
Together they must outwit each other and their enemies before the Offering ends and it’s too late to escape the perils of Sinner’s Isle
Told in dual POV, the novel can best be pitched in these four phrases according to the author’s tweet ft. a “Broody pirate with a heart of gold / Baddie witch tired of people telling what she can and cannot do / Blackmail & / Phantoms that can tear the world apart.”
Montoya’s Latinx fantasy romance is being released under the Joy Revolution Books imprint, through Random House Kids, a division of Penguin Random House Publishing. Cover Designer is Trisha Previte.
Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya is set to be released October 31, 2023!
You can preorder now and add the novel to Goodreads:
When we love an author’s work, naturally, us readers wait in anticipation for what they will write next. Today’s book list features 8 Young Adult sequels (and a companion) releasing during the first half of 2022 you should definitely add to your TBR.
To celebrate the forthcoming release of TOKYO DREAMING, the anticipated sequel to Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean, The Booked Shelf is participating in the Blog Tour, courtesy of Flatiron Books!
One True Loves by Elise Bryant (Happily Ever Afters #2) Release Date: January 4, 2022
Summary: Lenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she’s a master in the subtle art of not giving a . . . well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she’s a little less sure.
She’s heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest. Her parents always remind her that Black kids don’t have the luxury of figuring it out as they go—they have to be 110 percent prepared. But it’s a lot of pressure to be her ancestors’ wildest dreams when Lenore’s not even sure what her dreams are yet.
When her family embarks on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise, her friend Tessa is sure Lenore’s in for a whirlwind romance. But Lenore knows that doesn’t happen in real life. At least not to girls like her.
Then she meets Alex Lee. After their parents bond over the Cupid Shuffle, she ends up stuck with him for the remainder of the cruise. He’s a hopeless romantic and a golden boy with a ten-year plan. In short, he’s irritating as hell.
But as they get to know each other during the picturesque stops across Europe, he may be able to help her find something else she’s been looking for, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself: love.
Ashes Of Gold by J. Elle (Wings Of Ebony #2) Release Date: January 11, 2022
Summary: In the heart-pounding conclusion to the Wings of Ebony duology, Rue makes her final stand to reclaim her people’s stolen magic.
Rue has no memory of how she ended up locked in a basement prison without her magic or her allies. But she’s a girl from the East Row. And girls from the East Row don’t give up. Girls from the East Row pick themselves back up when they fall. Girls from the East Row break themselves out.
But reuniting with her friends is only half the battle. When she finds them again, Rue makes a vow: she will find a way to return the magic that the Chancellor has stolen from her father’s people. Yet even on Yiyo Peak, Rue is a misfit—with half a foot back in Houston and half a heart that is human as well as god, she’s not sure she’s the right person to lead the fight to reclaim a glorious past.
When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, Rue must decide who to trust and how to be the leader that her people deserve…because if she doesn’t, it isn’t just Yiyo that will be destroyed—it will be Rue herself.
Loveboat, Reunion by Abigail Hing Wen (Loveboat, Taipei #2) Release Date: January 25, 2022
Summary: Sophie Ha and Xavier Yeh have what some would call a tumultuous past.
Hearts were broken, revenge was plotted—but at least they’re friends now. They left the drama behind them back in Taipei—at their summer program, Loveboat—forever.
Now that fall is here, they’re focusing on what really matters. Sophie is determined to be the best student Dartmouth’s ever had. Xavier just wants to stay under his overbearing father’s radar, collect his trust fund when he turns eighteen, and concentrate on what makes him happy.
But the world doesn’t seem to want either to succeed. Sophie’s college professor thinks her first major project is “too feminine.” Xavier’s father gives him an ultimatum: finish high school or be cut off from his inheritance.
Then Sophie and Xavier find themselves on a wild, nonstop Loveboat reunion, hatching a joint plan to take control of their futures. Can they succeed together . . . or are they destined to combust?
Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean (Tokyo Ever After #2) Release Date: May 31, 2022
Summary: Return to Tokyo for a royal wedding in Emiko Jean’s Tokyo Dreaming, the sequel to the Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Tokyo Ever After
When Japanese-American Izumi Tanaka learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan, she became a princess overnight. Now, she’s overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. She has a perfect bodyguard turned boyfriend. Her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, is living with her in Tokyo. Her parents have even rekindled their college romance and are engaged. A royal wedding is on the horizon! Izumi’s life is a Tokyo dream come true.
Only…Her parents’ engagement hits a brick wall. The Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage citing concerns about Izumi and her mother’s lack of pedigree. And on top of it all, her bodyguard turned boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship. At the threat of everything falling apart, Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to help win over the council. Which means upping her newly acquired princess game.
But at what cost? Izumi will do anything to help her parents achieve their happily ever after, but what if playing the perfect princess means sacrificing her own? Will she find a way to forge her own path and follow her heart?
The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna (The Gilded Ones #2) Release Date: May 31, 2022
Summary: It’s been six months since Deka has freed the goddesses and discovered who she really is. There are now wars waging across the kingdom. Otereans now think jatu are traitors to the nation. Deka is called a monster.
But the real battle has only just begun and Deka must lead the charge. Deka is tasked with freeing the rest of the goddesses. Only as she begins to free them, she begins to see a strange symbol everywhere in places of worship and worn on armor. There’s something unnatural about that symbol; just looking at it makes Deka lose her senses. Even worse, it seems to repel her powers. She can’t command or communicate with the new deathshrieks. In fact, she can’t even understand them when they speak.
Deka knows freeing the goddesses is just the beginning. She can tell whatever dark force out is powerful and there is something sinister out there threatening the kingdom connected to that symbol–something merciless–that her army will need to stop before humanity crumbles. But Deka’s powers are only getting stronger…and her strongest weapon could be herself.
Empress Crowned In Red by Ciannon Smart (Witches Steeped In Gold #2) Release Date: June 7, 2022
Summary: The Doyenne is dead, and the throne is empty.
Iraya, her revenge taken and magic unfettered, turns her sights on a bigger goal: freeing Aiyca for the Obeah. But first she must shed the guise of the rogue warrior and become the Lost Empress her people need.
Jazmyne has crowned herself the doyenne and is prepared to go to extreme lengths—and court ruthless danger—to prove to her people she deserves the throne.
But there is more at stake than Jazmyne or Iraya know: a new threat is awakening on the other side of the island that could destroy everything they’ve been fighting for.
Trust is scarce, and betrayal a breath away. But Iraya and Jazmine once again find themselves turning to each other—after all, better the witch you know than the nightmare you don’t.
Iraya and Jazmyne’s deadly game continues in this electric finale to the hit Witches Steeped in Gold, where eldritch terrors lurk in the shadows, unnatural magic reigns, and the fate of Obeah relies on a fraying alliance between sworn enemies.
This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron (This Poison Heart #2) Release Date: June 21, 2022
Summary: How much would you risk to save the ones you love? Would you tempt even the most dangerous fate?
Briseis has one chance to save her mother, but she’ll need to do the impossible: find the last fragment of the deadly Absyrtus Heart. If she is to locate the missing piece, she must turn to the blood relatives she’s never known, learn about their secret powers, and take her place in their ancient lineage. Briseis is not the only one who wants the Heart, and her enemies will stop at nothing to fulfill their own ruthless plans. The fates tell of a truly dangerous journey, one that could end in more heartache, more death. Bolstered by the sisterhood of ancient magic, can Briseis harness her power to save the people she loves most?
Godslayers by Zoe Hana Mikuta (Gearbreakers #2) Release Date: June 28, 2022
Summary: The only way to kill a god is from the inside…
The Gearbreakers struck a devastating blow against Godolia on Heavensday, but the cost of victory has been steep. Months later, the few rebels who’ve managed to escape the tyrannical empire’s bloody retribution have fled to the mountains, hunted by the last Zenith–Godolia’s only surviving leader.
Eris has been held prisoner since the attack on the capital city, which almost killed her. And she begins to wish it had when she discovers Sona–the girl she loves, the girl she would tear down cities for–also survived, only to be captured and Corrupted by the Zenith. The cybernetic brainwashing that Sona has forcibly undergone now has her believing herself a loyal soldier for Godolia, and Eris’ mortal enemy.
With the rebellion shattered and Godolia moving forward with an insidious plan to begin inducting Badlands children into a new Windup Pilot program, the odds have never been more stacked against the Gearbreakers. Their last hope for victory will depend on whether Eris and Sona can somehow find their way back to each other from opposite sides of a war…
Which 2022 YA Sequels are you looking forward to? 🎊📚
Let’s solve a mystery! 2022 looks to be yet another great year for releases that will leave you guessing till the very end.
At The Booked Shelf, today we’re highlighting mystery and thriller books heading to shelves this year, to celebrate the March release of THE RUMOR GAME by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra!
1. The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra Release Date: March 1, 2022 Summary: All it takes is one spark to start a blaze. At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for the children of DC’s elite, a single rumor has the power to ruin a life.
Nobody knows that better than Bryn. She used to have it all—the perfect boyfriend, a bright future in politics, and even popularity, thanks to her best friend, cheer captain Cora. Then one mistake sparked a scandal that burned it all to the ground.
Now it’s the start of a new school year and the spotlight has shifted: It’s geeky Georgie, newly hot after a summer makeover, whose name is on everyone’s lips. When a rumor ignites, Georgie rockets up the school’s social hierarchy, pitting her and Cora against each other. It grants her Foxham stardom . . . but it also makes her a target.
As the rumors grow and morph, blazing like wildfire through the school’s social media, all three girls’ lives begin to unravel. But one person close to the drama has the power to stop the gossip in its tracks. The question is—do they even want to?
Summary: They Wish They Were Us meets The Queen’s Gambit in the world of competitive Scrabble when a teen girl is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend a year after the fact when her Instagram comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages.
CATALYST 13 points noun: a person or thing that precipitates an event or change
When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend’s death, it’s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It might be even though Najwa’s trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet.
But the same can’t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All’s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina’s death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it.
As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself.
3. The Monsters Club by Lotté Jean Elliott Release Date: April 21, 2022
Summary: A model student at an exclusive private school, Junie Han is popular, bright and destined for Oxford University. Or so everyone believes.
Unbeknownst to her wealthy friends and family, Junie is a gifted hacker, and is using her talents to make money as a means of escaping the life they have planned for her. As long as she can maintain her image of perfection, nothing will stop her.
Whilst exploring the dark web, Junie and her fellow hacker, Yamazaki, discover a site called the Monsters Club, a place where murderers post pictures of their victims. After investigating the site, Yamazaki disappears. And Junie begins to receive alarming messages from an anonymous stranger…
As Junie’s two lives begin to unravel, she finds herself cracking under the pressure of keeping her secrets and her safety. Will she, or someone she loves, become the next victim posted on the Monsters Club’s website?
4. Perfect Score by Angelica Monai (A.M. Ellis) Release Date: May 3, 2022
Summary: It’s time to HUNT A KILLER in this YA mystery series based on the bestselling subscription game!
In the world of Hunt A Killer, players help PI Michelle Gray solve murders through a variety of games using clues from autopsy reports to police records, and more.
Now, Hunt A Killer is making the leap to the page in this YA mystery series! Follow an original character as she investigates a brand-new case. Can she solve the crime before the killer strikes again?
Summary: Stranger Things meets Get Out in this Sapphic Horror debut from nonbinary, Afro-Latine author Vincent Tirado.
Mysterious disappearances. An urban legend rumored to be responsible. And one group of teens determined to save their city at any cost.
For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old Raquel does her best to ignore it. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize’s cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention—especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances.
Raquel and Charlize team up to investigate, but they soon discover that everything is tied to a terrifying urban legend called the Echo Game. The game is rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city, and the rules are based on a particularly dark chapter in New York’s past. And if the friends want to save their home and everyone they love, they will have to play the game and destroy the evil at its heart—or die trying.
Summary: Last summer, Alice Ogilve’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. Where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove, because she’s not talking. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .
Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.
In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they’re about to walk into.
Summary: From the author of How We Fall Apart comes a tense and thrilling YA about what it means not to feel safe in the places we call home.
Anna Xu moves across town and onto campus to start freshman year at prestigious Brookings University. Her family’s struggling Chinese bakery, Sweetea, isn’t far from campus or mind, but at Brookings Anna wants to keep up her stellar academics and… investigate the unsolved campus murder of her former babysitter. She also finds a familiar face–her middle-school rival, Chris Lu. The Lus are also the Xu’s business rivals, who just opened Sunny’s, a trendy bakery on Sweetea’s block. Chris is cute but still someone to be wary of—until a vandal hits Sunny’s and Anna matches the racist tag with a clue from her investigation. Is there a secret society carrying out hate crimes? She and Chris team up to take on a dangerous search into the attacks. Can they root out the ugly history and take on the current threat?
Summary: Seaview High’s homecoming queen is dead . . . and she’s not the first. From the critically acclaimed author of The Ivies comes a nonstop thriller about a deacades-old mystery, a copycat killing, and the teen who won’t stop until she discovers the truth.
After the death of her mom (screw cancer), seventeen-year-old Cecelia Ellis goes to live with her estranged grandmother, a celebrated author whose Victorian mansion is as creepy as the murder mysteries she writes. On the surface, life is utterly ordinary in the California coastal town . . . until the homecoming queen is murdered. And she’s not Seaview’s first pretty dead queen.
With a copycat killer on the loose, Cecelia throws herself into the investigation, determined to crack the case like the heroines in her grandmother’s books. But the more Cecelia digs into the town’s secrets, the more she worries that her own mystery might not have a storybook ending.
In this reimagining of the Wild Swans fairytale, Six Crimson Cranes follows an exiled princess named Shiori who must unweave the curse that turned her brothers into cranes.
However, unable to speak of the curse to anyone even as she’s soon assisted by a dragon, a paper bird and the boy she tried not to marry.
In her tweet, Lim reveals Shiori’s adventure will continue, in addition for readers to be ready for more “dragons and magic and adventure…” Lim also linked to a pre-order campaign where readers can get an exclusive prize pack.
Six Crimson Cranes has also garnered quite a following on Booktok, with over 14 million views. Recently, the UK cover was also revealed on February 23.
Cover artist is Tran Nguyen, Alix Northup is the letterer and Alison Impey is the designer.
Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.
Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama’s betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.
The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeth is set to be released August 30, 2022!
Anthologies are great, especially if you want to read more from some of your favorite authors and are looking for short stories! To celebrate the forthcoming release of these 2022 collections: GAME ON, RECLAIM THE STARS and ALL SIGNS POINT TO YES, here’s 10 Young Adult anthologies you should check out!
Summary: Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings: these are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries.
Sixteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.
Compiled by We Need Diverse Books’s Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman—who both contributed stories to this edition, as well—the authors included in this exquisite collection are: Renée Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E. C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong.
A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother’s mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place.
Fresh Ink edited by Lamar Giles Release Date: August 14, 2018
Summary: In partnership with We Need Diverse Books, thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors come together in this remarkable YA anthology featuring ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print.
Careful–you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written–whose next chapters are up to you.
Because these stories are meant to be read. And shared.
Thirteen of the most accomplished YA authors deliver a label-defying anthology that includes ten short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play. This collection will inspire you to break conventions, bend the rules, and color outside the lines. All you need is fresh ink.
Summary: A stunning collection of short stories about the intersection of family, culture, and food in the lives in teens, from bestselling and critically acclaimed authors, including Sandhya Menon, Anna-Marie McLemore, and Rin Chupeco.
A shy teenager attempts to express how she really feels through the pastries she makes at her family’s pasteleria. A tourist from Montenegro desperately seeks a magic soup dumpling that can cure his fear of death. An aspiring chef realizes that butter and soul are the key ingredients to win a cooking competition that could win him the money to save his mother’s life.
Welcome to Hungry Hearts Row, where the answers to most of life’s hard questions are kneaded, rolled, baked. Where a typical greeting is, “Have you had anything to eat?” Where magic and food and love are sometimes one in the same.
Told in interconnected short stories, Hungry Hearts explores the many meanings food can take on beyond mere nourishment. It can symbolize love and despair, family and culture, belonging and home.
Summary: Sixteen tales by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic.
Evoking Beyoncé’s Lemonade for a teen audience, these authors who are truly Octavia Butler’s heirs, have woven worlds to create a stunning narrative that centers Black women and gender nonconforming individuals. A Phoenix First Must Burn will take you on a journey from folktales retold to futuristic societies and everything in between. Filled with stories of love and betrayal, strength and resistance, this collection contains an array of complex and true-to-life characters in which you cannot help but see yourself reflected. Witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels: the heroines of A Phoenix First Must Burn shine brightly. You will never forget them.
Authors include Elizabeth Acevedo, Amerie, Dhonielle Clayton, Jalissa Corrie, Somaiya Daud, Charlotte Davis, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Justina Ireland, Danny Lore, L.L. McKinney, Danielle Paige, Rebecca Roanhorse, Karen Strong, Ashley Woodfolk, and Ibi Zoboi.
Summary: Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices!
In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out―and going out for their first kill―and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.
Welcome to the evolution of the vampire―and a revolution on the page.
Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.
Summary: In the fourth collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, fifteen award-winning and celebrated diverse authors deliver stories about a princess without need of a prince, a monster long misunderstood, memories that vanish with a spell, and voices that refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. This powerful and inclusive collection contains a universe of wishes for a braver and more beautiful world.
AUTHORS INCLUDE: Samira Ahmed, Libba Bray, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Kwame Mbalia, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tochi Onyebuchi, Mark Oshiro, Natalie C. Parker, Rebecca Roanhorse, Victoria Schwab, Tara Sim, Nic Stone, and a to-be-announced debut author/short-story contest winner.
Summary:Join fifteen bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming authors as they reimagine some of the most popular tropes in the romance genre.
Fake relationships. Enemies to lovers. Love triangles and best friends, mistaken identities and missed connections. This collection of genre-bending and original stories celebrates how love always finds a way, featuring powerful flora, a superhero and his nemesis, a fantastical sled race through snow-capped mountains, a golf tournament, the wrong ride-share, and even the end of the world. With stories written by Rebecca Barrow, Ashley Herring Blake, Gloria Chao, Mason Deaver, Sara Farizan, Claire Kann, Malinda Lo, Hannah Moskowitz, Natasha Ngan, Rebecca Podos, Lilliam Rivera, Laura Silverman, Amy Spalding, Rebecca Kim Wells, and Julian Winters this collection is sure to sweep you off your feet.
Summary: A charming and inclusive YA anthology all about games—from athletic sports to board games to virtual reality—from editor Laura Silverman and an all-star cast of contributors.
From the slightly fantastical to the utterly real, light and sweet romance to tales tinged with horror and thrills, Game On is an anthology that spans genre and style. But beneath each story is a loving ode to competition and games perfect for anyone who has ever played a sport or a board game, picked up a video game controller, or rolled a twenty-sided die.
A manhunt game is interrupted by a town disappearing beneath the players’ eyes. A puzzle-filled scavenger hunt emboldens one college freshman to be brave with the boy she’s crushing on. A series of summer nights full of card games leads a boy to fall for a boy who he knows is taken. And a spin the bottle game could end a life-long friendship.
Summary: Seventeen fantasy and science fiction short stories from leading voices in the Latin American diaspora!
Reclaim the Stars is a collection of bestselling and acclaimed YA authors that take the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world. From princesses warring in space, to the all too-near devastation of climate change, to haunting ghost stories in Argentina, and mermaids off the coast of the Caribbean. This is science fiction and fantasy that breaks borders and realms, and proves that stories are truly universal.
Authors include Daniel José Older, Yamile Saied Méndez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Mark Oshiro, Romina Garber, David Bowles, Lilliam Rivera, Claribel Ortega, Isabel Ibañez, Sara Faring, Maya Motayne, Nina Moreno, Vita Ayala, J.C. Cervantes, Circe Moskowitz, Linda Nieves Pérez, and Zoraida Córdova.
All Signs Point To Yes edited by Cam Montgomery, g. haron davis and Adrianne White Release Date: May 31, 2022
Summary: A literal star-studded anthology that delivers a love story for every star sign straight from the hearts of 13 multicultural YA authors, including Mark Oshiro, Tehlor Kay Mejia, and Emery Lee! Perfect for fans of Black Enough and anyone who’s addicted to reading their daily horoscope.
A haunted Aquarius finds love behind the veil. An ambitious Aries will do anything to stay in the spotlight. A foodie Taurus discovers the best eats in town (with a side of romance). A witchy Cancer stumbles into a curious meet-cute.
Romantic, platonic, familial, or something that can’t quite be defined, love connects us all. Journey from your own backyard to the world beyond the living as these tales settle among the stars for thirteen stories of love and life.
As of November 10, Barnes & Noble announced that E. Lockhart’s 2014 novel We Were Liars, which became a #Booktok sensation and a #1 NYT Bestseller is getting a prequel titled Family Of Liars, slated for May of 2022!
We Were Liars follows Cadence Sinclair who returns to her family’s private island for the summer joined by her cousins and family friend off Cape Cod. As Cadence recovers from a head injury, the group known as the Liars uncover secrets and truths that no one wants to speak of.
The forthcoming prequel will follow a previous generation of the Sinclair family during the summer of 1987 on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. The summary promises a “summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.” Following the Liars’ mothers during a “notable summer” the novel centers around them as teenagers as they see what it means to be a Sinclair.
In addition, the online retailer stated that its B&N Exclusive Edition will include “a unique jacket and a customized case and endpapers! Exclusive bonus content includes a map of Beechwood Island and a Sinclair family tree, both hand-drawn by the author, as well as an author Q&A, a playlist/mix tape, Tipper’s lemon pound cake recipe, and more.”
The full summary description reads:
The thrilling prequel to the TikTok phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Liars takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come.
A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow. A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy. A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.
Welcome back to the Sinclair family. They were always liars.
Family Of Liars by E. Lockhart is set to be released May 3, 2022!
Welcome back to The Booked Shelf where we’re wrapping up some of the fantastic covers that’ve been revealed so far during the month of August! There have been 7 covers for upcoming YA novels from fantasy to thrillers, which readers can expect on shelves in 2022!
1. Arden Grey by Ray Stoeve
On August 2 Ray Stoeve revealed through their Instagram, the cover to their second YA novel titled Arden Grey which is pitched as “insightful, raw [Young Adult] novel about a young photographer navigating toxic relationships and how they influence her identity.”
Cover designer is Hana Nakamura. Arden Grey is set to be released April 26, 2022!
Sixteen-year-old Arden Grey is struggling. Her mother has left their family, her father and her younger brother won’t talk about it, and a classmate, Tanner, keeps harassing her about her sexuality—which isn’t even public. (She knows she likes girls romantically, but she thinks she might be asexual.) At least she’s got her love of film photography and her best and only friend, Jamie, to help her cope. Then Jamie, who is trans, starts dating Caroline, and suddenly he isn’t so reliable. Arden’s insecurity about their friendship grows. She starts to wonder if she’s jealous or if Jamie’s relationship with Caroline is somehow unhealthy—and it makes her reconsider how much of her relationship with her absent mom wasn’t okay, too.
2. The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder
As of August 3, Leslie Vedder revealed through Twitter the cover to her forthcoming debut novel The Bone Spindle which she has pitched as “Sleeping Beauty x Indiana Jones with 2 girl treasure hunters, 2 love stories, and a whole lot of snark!!”
Cover artist is Fernanda Suarez. The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder is set to be released January 11, 2022!
Fi is a bookish treasure hunter with a knack for ruins and riddles, who definitely doesn’t believe in true love.
Shane is a tough-as-dirt girl warrior from the north who likes cracking skulls, pretty girls, and doing things her own way.
Briar Rose is a prince under a sleeping curse, who’s been waiting a hundred years for the kiss that will wake him.
Cursed princes are nothing but ancient history to Fi–until she pricks her finger on a bone spindle while exploring a long-lost ruin. Now she’s stuck with the spirit of Briar Rose until she and Shane can break the century-old curse on his kingdom.
Dark magic, Witch Hunters, and bad exes all stand in her way–not to mention a mysterious witch who might wind up stealing Shane’s heart, along with whatever else she’s after. But nothing scares Fi more than the possibility of falling in love with Briar Rose.
3. Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
Through the Tor.com blog on August 4 was an exclusive cover reveal and excerpt for Emily Taylor’s upcoming YA fantasy pitched as The Night Circus meets Caraval set against the “backdrop of a magical Belle Époque-inspired hotel” titled Hotel Magnifique.
Cover artist is Jim Tierney and designer is Kristie Radwilowicz. Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor is set to be released April 5, 2022!
For fans of Caraval and The Night Circus, this decadent and darkly enchanting YA fantasy, set against the backdrop of a Belle Époque-inspired hotel, follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.
Seventeen-year-old orphan Jani dreams of leaving the cramped, filthy port town of Durc, but she’s resigned to the reality of her life: working second shifts at a tannery to make ends meet and caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the legendary Hotel Magnifique—the magical hotel that appears in a new location each morning—comes to town.
While they can’t afford the exorbitant cost of a guest’s stay, Jani and Zosa can interview for jobs in the hotel. And luck is on their side—with just a stroke of ink on paper, and an intervention by the vexingly handsome bellhop, the two girls are hired and swept into a world of adventure and wonderment. But despite the allure, Jani quickly begins to realize that something isn’t quite right. None of the staff seem to remember their homes, yet Jani’s memory is perfectly intact. It’s clear that beneath the mysterious glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets.
Most dangerous of all is the maître d’hôtel, a ruthless man who, Jani discovers, holds the hotel staff prisoner by the magical ink of the contracts they sign. But what Jani can’t understand is why he won’t let them leave. With Bel the bellhop as her guide and confidante, Jani embarks on a mission to uncover the secrets of the hotel and free Zosa and the other staff from the cruelty of the maître. To succeed, she’ll need to harness a power she never knew she had, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.
4. Ashes Of Gold by J. Elle
From NYT Bestselling and Junior Library Guild Select author J. Elle comes the anticipated follow-up and conclusion to her Wings Of Ebony duology titled Ashes Of Gold. On August 5, The Houston Chroniclehad an exclusive feature to spotlight the cover and what readers can expect in early 2022.
Cover artist is Taj Francis. Ashes Of Gold is set to be released on January 11, 2022!
In the heart-pounding conclusion to the Wings of Ebony duology, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicole Yoon calls “bold, inventive, big-hearted and deeply perceptive,” Rue makes her final stand to reclaim her people’s stolen magic.
Rue has no memory of how she ended up locked in a basement prison without her magic or her allies. But she’s a girl from the East Row. And girls from the East Row don’t give up. Girls from the East Row pick themselves back up when they fall. Girls from the East Row break themselves out.
But reuniting with her friends is only half the battle. When she finds them again, Rue makes a vow: she will find a way to return the magic that the Chancellor has stolen from her father’s people. Yet even on Yiyo Peak, Rue is a misfit—with half a foot back in Houston and half a heart that is human as well as god, she’s not sure she’s the right person to lead the fight to reclaim a glorious past.
When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, Rue must decide who to trust and how to be the leader that her people deserve…because if she doesn’t, it isn’t just Yiyo that will be destroyed—it will be Rue herself.
5. Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets by Chelsea Ichaso
On Twitter as of August 6, Chelsea Ichaso revealed the cover to her sophomore YA Thriller titled Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets in which the author has said to get ready for “sisters, suspects, and a trail full of secrets!”
Cover designer is Erin Fitzsimmons. Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets by Chelsea Ichaso is set to be released April 5, 2022!
Piper’s fall was no accident. Did someone want her dead? It’s up to her sister to discover the truth in this shocking new thriller with an unreliable narrator, from the acclaimed author of Little Creeping Things.
Piper Sullivan was in a strange hiking accident last month and has been in a coma ever since. Her older sister, Savannah, can’t pretend to be optimistic about it; things look bad. Piper will likely never wake up, and Savannah will never get any answers about what exactly happened.
But then Savannah finds a note in Piper’s locker, inviting Piper to a meeting of their school’s wilderness club…at the very place and on the very day that she fell. Which means there was a chance that Piper wasn’t alone. Someone might’ve seen something. Worse, someone might’ve done something. But who would want to hurt the perfect Piper Sullivan…and why?
To discover the truth, Savannah joins the club on their weekend-long camping trip on the same mountain where her sister fell. But she better be careful; everyone in the club is a suspect, and everyone seems to be keeping secrets about that tragic day.
And Savannah? She’s been keeping secrets, too…
6. Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi
On August 11, National Book Award finalist Akwaeke Emezi revealed through Twitter a forthcoming novel which will be a companion to Emezi’s Pet (2019) is going to explore “both the importance and cost of social revolution–and how youth lead the way.”
Cover artist is Shyama Golden. Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi is set to be released February 15, 2022!
After a childhood in foster care, Bitter is thrilled to have been chosen to attend Eucalyptus, a special school where she can focus on her painting surrounded by other creative teens. But outside this haven, the streets are filled with protests against the deep injustices that grip the city of Lucille.
Bitter’s instinct is to stay safe within the walls of Eucalyptus . . . but her friends aren’t willing to settle for a world that’s so far away from what they deserve. Pulled between old friendships, her artistic passion, and a new romance, Bitter isn’t sure where she belongs–in the studio or in the streets. And if she does find a way to help the revolution while being true to who she is, she must also ask: at what cost?
This timely and riveting novel–a companion to the National Book Award finalist Pet–explores the power of youth, protest, and art.
7. The Dream Runners by Shveta Thakrar
Revealed through Twitter on August 11, was the cover to Shveta Thakrar’s upcoming YA Fantasy standalone titled The Dream Runners which will follow Tanvi, a girl who was spirited away to the subterranean realm of Nagalok. However, when she uncovers her memories from Earth she turns to the only other mortal who can help, Venkat, whose studying under an influential lord and looking to end a war.
Cover artist is Charlie Bowater and designer is Corina Lupp. The Dream Runnersby Shveta Thakrar is set to be released June 28, 2022!
Seven years ago, Tanvi was spirited away to the subterranean realm of Nagalok, where she joined the ranks of the dream runners: human children freed of all memory and emotion, charged with harvesting mortal dreams for the consumption of the naga court.
Venkat knows a different side of Nagalok. As apprentice to the influential Lord Nayan, he shapes the dream runners’ wares into the kingdom’s most tantalizing commodity. And Nayan has larger plans for these mortal dreams: with a dreamsmith of Venkat’s talent, he believes he can use them to end a war between nagas and their ancient foe, the garudas.
But when one of Tanvi’s dream harvests goes awry, she begins to remember her life on Earth. Panicked and confused, she turns to the one mortal in Nagalok who can help: Venkat. And as they search for answers, a terrifying truth begins to take shape—one that could turn the nagas’ realm of dreams into a land of waking nightmare.
Additional Cover Reveals ↷
➣ In The Serpent’s Wake by Rachel Hartman was revealed through Twitter. This is the sequel to Hartman’s Tess Of The Road series (August 11, 2021)
[All Cover artists, designers, art directors, etc. are credited based on the articles, tweets, or from the authors themselves if they were mentioned / For additional information check the links provided]
Who doesn’t love a good thriller? Filled with twists, mystery and moments sure to leave you on the edge of your seat, these 2021 YA releases are sure to deliver!
On The Booked Shelf, we’re highlighting 5 Thrillers both recently released and upcoming to celebrate Katie Zhao’s YA dark academia thriller debut HOW WE FALL APART, out August 17, 2021!
New York Times –bestselling author Goldy Moldavsky delivers a deliciously twisty YA thriller that’s Scream meets Karen McManus about a mysterious club with an obsession for horror.
New girl Rachel Chavez is eager to make a fresh start at Manchester Prep. But as one of the few scholarship kids, Rachel struggles to fit in, and when she gets caught up in a prank gone awry, she ends up with more enemies than friends.
To her surprise, however, the prank attracts the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a secret club of students with one objective: come up with the scariest prank to orchestrate real fear. But as the pranks escalate, the competition turns cutthroat and takes on a life of its own.
When the tables are turned and someone targets the club itself, Rachel must track down the real-life monster in their midst . . . even if it means finally confronting the dark secrets from her past.
2. Ace Of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Release Date: June 1, 2021
When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.
Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures.
As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?
Perched in the Catskill mountains, the centuries-old, ivy-covered campus was home until the tragic death of her girlfriend. Now, after a year away, she’s returned to graduate. She even has her old room in Godwin House, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirits of five Dalloway students—girls some say were witches. The Dalloway Five all died mysteriously, one after another, right on Godwin grounds.
Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s history. The school doesn’t talk about it, but the students do. In secret rooms and shadowy corners, girls convene. And before her girlfriend died, Felicity was drawn to the dark. She’s determined to leave that behind her now; all Felicity wants is to focus on her senior thesis and graduate. But it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won’t let her forget.
It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway, and she’s already amassed a loyal following. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, Ellis is a so-called “method writer.” She’s eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity can’t shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity for help researching the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can’t say no. Given her history with the arcane, Felicity is the perfect resource.
And when history begins to repeat itself, Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway–and in herself.
Students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead.
Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top ranked junior at Sinclair Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends–Krystal, Akil, and Alexander–are the prime suspects, thanks to “The Proctor,” someone anonymously incriminating them via the school’s social media app.
They all used to be Jamie’s closest friends, and she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow The Proctor knows them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy’s full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her, too.
5. Small Town Monsters by Diana Rodriguez Wallach Release Date: September 7, 2021
The Conjuring meets The Vow! This terrifying paperback original tells the unputdownable story of a girl, a dark angel, and the cult hellbent on taking over her small, coastal town.
Vera Martinez wants nothing more than to escape Roaring Creek and her parents’ reputation as demonologists. Not to mention she’s the family outcast, lacking her parents’ innate abilities, and is terrified of the occult things lurking in their basement.
Maxwell Oliver is supposed to be enjoying the summer before his senior year, spending his days thinking about parties and friends. Instead he’s taking care of his little sister while his mom slowly becomes someone he doesn’t recognize. Soon he suspects that what he thought was grief over his father’s death might be something more…sinister.
When Maxwell and Vera join forces, they come face to face with deeply disturbing true stories of cults, death worship, and the very nature that drives people to evil.
On The Booked Shelf we’re highlighting some of the fantastic book deals for new and upcoming Young Adult books that we’re announced during the month of March!
Being released by Wattpad Books, Dawkins debut follows “Naomi Morgan, the only Black ballerina at her prestigious dance school, who while injured and reeling from the death of her best friend, meets a street artist named Saint, whose social justice messages spark something in her, changing them both forever.” Dawkins is also a poet and the novel is releasing in 2022.
Reject Squad by Alyssa Cole and ONeill Jones (Illustrator)
Set to be released in 2024, this Sleeping Beauty-inspired fantasy romance graphic novel will follow a perfectionist princess whose found herself hexed, which places both her life and kingdom in jeopardy, unless “her newfound friends (the magical hot messes of the Reject Squad)—and the irritating boy she’s betrothed to—can help her save herself.”
Week Of March 8
Highly Suspicious, Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
In Hibbert’s YA debut “a snarky e-girl battles her clean-cut academic rival (and former best friend) over the course of a three-week enrichment program in the Scottish wilderness to see who’s really top of their class, sparking old and possibly romantic feelings.” The novel will be published in Fall 2022 through Joy Revolution, the Random House Children’s Books imprint launched by Nicola and David Yoon.
hello everyone! I am writing a YA romance about a sarcasm queen and an earnest soft boy. there will be rivalry, competitive hiking, competitive studying, probably competitive kissing, etcetera.
You’re Breaking My Heart by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Rhuday-Perkovich’s debut novel will follow a “teenager grieving her brother’s death and her last words to him before he died—who then discovers a portal to another dimension underneath New York City, one that just might offer an opportunity for a do-over as a better version of herself.” Rhuday-Perkovich’s novel is being released by independent publisher Levine Querido in Fall 2022.
The Charmed List by Julie Abe
Abe’s upcoming contemporary romance debut is pitched as Sabrina the Teenage Witch x Jenny Han where “after spending most of high school as the quiet girl, Ellie Kobata is ready to take some risks and potentially have a life-changing summer, starting with her Anti-Wallflower list—13 items she is going to check off one by one. But when number four on the list—revenge on Jack Yasuda—goes terribly wrong, she’s certain her summer has gone from charmed to cursed.” This novel is set to be released with Wednesday Books in Summer 2022.
Cool. Awkward. Black edited by Karen Strong
An upcoming YA fiction anthology that “explores the joys of and multitudes within Black geekhood from a number of Black authors.” It’s set to feature stories by Amerie, Kalynn Bayron, Terry Benton, Roseanne A. Brown, Elise Bryant, Tracy Deonn, Desiree S. Evans, Isaac Fitzsimons, Lamar R. Giles, Jordan Ifueko, Leah Johnson, Amanda Joy, Danny Lore, Kwame Mbalia, Tochi Onyebuchi, K. Arsenault Rivera, Ciannon Smart, Julian Winters, Ibi Zoboi, and one winner from a contest run by Strong. Its set to be released by Philomel (Penguin Teen) in Spring 2023.
The Gravity Of Missing Things by Marisa Urgo
This #OwnVoices YA contemporary will follow a bisexual juggling “first love and a family secret when her pilot mother’s plane mysteriously vanishes, leaving her mother as the prime suspect.” Set to be released by Entangled Urgo’s debut is slated for a Summer 2022 release.
Week Of March 15
The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
Reyes’s upcoming YA contemporary debut is pitched as perfect for readers of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter following “16-year-old Yamilet Flores, who has just started at a new Catholic school after being outed by her ex-best friend and crush at her old school. Her new goals: make her mom proud, keep her brother out of trouble, and most importantly, don’t fall in love. But that’s not easy when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is funny, cute, and seems like she might be interested in Yami.” The novel will be published by Harper Collins/ Balzer + Bray in Spring 2022.
A Million To One by Adiba Jaigirdar
Jaigirdar’s upcoming YA “high-stakes, romantic” heist novel will follow four girls on the Titanic who “team up to steal a priceless jewel-encrusted book on board the infamous ship.” Set to be released in Spring 2022, this novel is being published with Harper Collins.
I'm so excited for everyone to board the Titanic with these four amazing girls, on the adventure of a lifetime filled with a high-stakes heist, a sapphic romance, and so much more!
Set for a Summer 2022 release with Little Brown, this YA fantasy is pitched as “part dark fairy tale and part heist novel about the last living water diviner, 18-year-old Mererid, who has spent years running from the prince who bound her into his service when she was a child. When her old handler returns and asks Mer to destroy the magical well that keeps the prince’s lands safe, she can’t refuse.”
Every Variable Of Us by Charles A. Bush
Bush’s YA contemporary debut has been pitched as The Hate U Give x Moonlight. “After Philly teenager Alexis Duncan is injured in a gang shooting, her basketball career comes to a halt. At the urging of new Indian student (and crush?) Aamani, Alexis shifts her focus to the school’s STEM team in hopes of earning a college scholarship, but gains more than she could have imagined.” This novel is set to be released with Flux Books in Spring 2022.
Week Of March 22
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
Planned for a Fall 2022 release with Little Brown, Katouh’s speculative YA novel is pitched for fans of The Book Thief and Salt To The Sea. “Set amid the Syrian Revolution follows Salama Kassab, a teenager who must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.”
Dead End Girls by Wendy Heard
Heard’s queer YA psychological thriller is about ” two desperate teens who fake their own deaths, to murderous consequences.” It’s planned for a Spring 2022 release with Little Brown.
Week Of March 29
Golden State by Isabel Quintero
Set for a Summer 2023 release at Kokila (Penguin Young Readers imprint), Quintero’s YA contemporary novel will follow “18-year-old Maricela, who, after finding out her father has another family he’s been keeping secret from her, embarks on a road trip through California to meet her half-brother for the first time. “
Lesperance’s YA literary gothic horror novel will follow 17-year-old Addie, who after suffering a near-fatal freediving accident “tags along on her mother’s honeymoon to a private island where she unearths dark secrets—wandering ghosts, bloodthirsty flowers, and a deep pool where no one feels pain—before realizing the island might not be willing to let her go.” This novel will be released with Razorbill and has a Fall 2022 release.
The Q by Amy Tintera
Tintera, a YA SFF author, is set to release her near-future YA novel following “a girl raised in a walled quarantine zone and the son of a Presidential candidate abducted and dropped into the zone by parachute must go on the run toward the only exit before they are hunted down by mercenaries.” Being published with Crown, this novel is slated for a Fall 2022 release.
Those were some of the Book Deal highlights from March! Which novels are you looking forward to?
The Booked Shelf 