‘Stars And Smoke’ by Marie Lu Cover Reveal

On September 30, revealed through Twitter was the cover to #1NYT Bestselling author Marie Lu’s YA action-thriller Stars And Smoke, slated for a Spring 2023 release!

Winter Young is a superstar who soon becomes a secret agent to infiltrate a criminal tycoon’s inner circle, the cunning, charismatic pop star is joined by the youngest spy in the covert ops organization The Panacea Group, Sydney Cossette, who poses as his bodyguard. As the mission brings them both closer together, they may become the biggest heroes the organization’s ever seen, if they can survive each other.

In her initial tweet, Lu confirmed the novel is to be a standalone, along the veins of Mission Impossible and The Hating Game.

Cover illustrator is Jessica Cruickshank and art director is Aurora Parlagreco.

Meet Winter Young—rookie backup dancer turned global pop phenomenon. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. Now he’s bringing his swoon worthy assets to a whole new arena…Infamous criminal tycoon Eli Morrison has just one weakness—his daughter, Penelope. And Penelope has just one wish for her nineteenth birthday—a private concert with Winter Young. When covert ops organization The Panacea Group approaches Winter with this once-in-a-lifetime chance to infiltrate Morrison’s inner circle, Winter must use his fame, cunning, and charisma to pull it off—only he won’t be on his own.

Posing as Winter’s bodyguard is the fiery Sydney Cossette, Panacea’s youngest spy. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter’s charms, but as the mission brings them closer, she’s forced to admit there’s more to this A-lister than slick dance moves and a handsome face. Panacea’s unlikeliest partners just might become its biggest heroes—and maybe even more—if they can survive each other first.

Stars And Smoke by Marie Lu is set to be released April 4, 2023!

‘Strike The Zither’ by Joan He Cover Reveal

On April 26, NYT & Indie Bestselling author Joan He revealed through Twitter the cover to her forthcoming 2022 Chinese YA Fantasy titled, Strike The Zither, which is slated for a Fall release with Fierce Reads.

According to her initial book deal from 2021, He’s novel is a “reimagining of the Chinese military epic ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ in which a strategist must help her warlordess to victory against the rival kingdoms to the north and the south while overcoming her fate as written by the gods.”

Her Twitter thread continues to state that the novel contains: “[her] most manipulative characters yet / backstabbing / real stabbing & war / rivals to lovers to 💔” and more.

Cover artist is Kuri Huang and designer is Aurora Parlagreco.

Strike The Zither is planned to be a duology. The full summary reads:

The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.

But Zephyr knows it’s no contest.

Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren’s honor draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren’s followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human.

Strike The Zither by Joan He is set to be released October 25, 2022!