As reported by The Booked Shelf last Spring, the long-awaited adaptation for Nimona had been picked up by Netflix for a release this year and as of May 18 the trailer has been revealed by the streaming service, slated for June 30, 2023!
Anchored by the tagline “A new kind of hero takes shape,” the teaser trailer highlighted Nimona’s (Chloë Grace Moretz) mischievous chaotic persona (shapeshifting of course) and the adventures that will be underway in the “techno-medieval landscape” alongside Knight Ballister (Ahmed) and Ambrosius (Eugene Lee Yang).
The full synopsis for the film reads: A knight framed for a terrible crime turns to a shape-shifting teenage girl to prove his innocence. But what if she’s the monster he’s sworn to destroy?
Initially scrapped by Disney at 75% completion, during April 2022 it was announced that Netflix acquired the project, with plans to stream in 2023.
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:
Fantasy, the genre that sweeps you away into new worlds, high stakes and unforgettable characters! 2023 is finally here & the first month of the new year is starting off strong with epic adventures from debut and established authors, with stories full of mysterious fae, unique takes on magic, to a contemporary paranormal-fantasy unlike anything you’ve read before.
The Stolen Heir: A Novel of Elfhame by Holly Black Release Date: January 3, 2023
Summary: Return to the opulent world of Elfhame, filled with intrigue, betrayal, and dangerous desires, with this first book of a captivating new duology from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black.
A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.
Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.
Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.
Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.
Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman Release Date: January 3, 2023
Summary: Twin sisters, both on the run, but different as day and night. One, a professional rogue, searches for a fabled treasure; the other, a changeling, searches for the truth behind her origins, trying to find a place to fit in with the realm of fae who made her and the humans who shun her.
Iselia “Seelie” Graygrove looks just like her twin, Isolde… but as an autistic changeling trying to navigate her unpredictable magic, Seelie finds it more difficult to fit in with the humans around her. When Seelie and Isolde are caught up in a heist gone wrong and make some unexpected allies, they find themselves unraveling a larger mystery that has its roots in the history of humans and fae alike.
Both sisters soon discover that the secrets of the faeries may be more valuable than any pile of gold and jewels. But can Seelie harness her magic in time to protect her sister, and herself?
Breakup From Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal Release Date: January 3, 2023
Summary: Miguela Angeles is tired. Tired of her abuela keeping secrets, especially about her heritage. Tired of her small Vermont town and hanging out at the same places with the same friends she’s known forever. So when another boring Sunday trip to church turns into a run-in with Sam, a mysterious hottie in town on vacation, Mica seizes the opportunity to get closer to him.
It’s not long before she is under Sam’s spell and doing things she’s never done before, like winning all her martial arts sparring matches—and lying to her favorite people. The more time Mica spends with Sam, the more weird things start to happen, too. Like terrifying-visions-of-the-world-ending weird.
Mica’s gut instincts keep telling her something is off, yet Sam is the most exciting guy she’s ever met. But when Mica discovers his family’s roots, she realizes that instead of being in the typical high school relationship, she’s living in a horror novel.
She has to leave Sam, but will ending their relationship also bring an end to everything she knows and everyone she loves?
Song Of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao (Song Of The Last Kingdom #1) Release Date: January 3, 2023
Summary: In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation’s past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.
Once, Lan had a different name. Now she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people’s magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and her days scavenging for what she can find of the past. Anything to understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother in her last act before she died.
The mark is mysterious—an untranslatable Hin character—and no one but Lan can see it. Until the night a boy appears at her teahouse and saves her life.
Zen is a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom. Their magic was rumored to have been drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Now it must be hidden from the Elantians at all costs.
When Zen comes across Lan, he recognizes what she is: a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. He’s never seen anything like it—but he knows that if there are answers, they lie deep in the pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime.
Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within—secrets they must hide from others, and secrets that they themselves have yet to discover. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.
Now the battle for the Last Kingdom begins.
A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith (Heartless Fates #1) Release Date: January 3, 2023
Summary: Fate does not choose the weak. Fate chooses the ready.
Calliope Rosewood is a witch with a long streak of bad luck. Like all witches in Illustros, her fate is directly tied to Witch’s Dice—powerful artifacts that have blessed her kind with limitless magic but also set them on a path toward destruction. Cursed with unspeakable powers that terrify even the most dangerous witches and fae, Calla deserted her coven four years ago and has been in hiding with her two best friends since. But Calla is also hiding a grave secret: She is only three Rolls away from becoming the last Blood Warrior and starting the Final War that will decimate her people and eradicate their magic.
After a betrayal from her ex leads her one step closer to fulfilling that age-old prophecy, Calla is desperate to do whatever it takes to reset her fate . . . even if that means journeying into the deadly Neverending Forest with said ex and his enticing, yet enigmatic older brother to find the one being who can help her forge her own path. As Calla ventures farther into the enchanted woods, she finds her heart torn between her past desires and the alluring new possibilities of her future and learns that choosing your own destiny may come with deadly consequences.
Mysteries Of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson (Sorcery Of Thorns #1.5) Release Date: January 17, 2023
Summary: In this delightful sequel novella to the New York Times bestselling Sorcery of Thorns, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas must unravel the magical trap keeping them inside Thorn Manor in time for their Midwinter Ball!
Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city’s most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate’s wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor’s occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another…
With no access to the outside world, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas – along with their new maid Mercy – will have to work together to discover the source of the magic behind the malfunctioning wards before they’re due to host the city’s Midwinter Ball. Not an easy task when the house is filled with unexpected secrets, and all Elisabeth can think about is kissing Nathaniel in peace. But when it becomes clear that the house, influenced by the magic of Nathaniel’s ancestors, requires a price for its obedience, Elisabeth and Nathaniel will have to lean on their connection like never before to set things right.
Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim (The Spice Road Trilogy #1) Release Date: January 24, 2023
Summary: The first book in an epic fantasy series set in an Arabian-inspired land with secret spice magic. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, sixteen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother, whose betrayal is now the country’s greatest threat.
In the hidden desert city of Qalia, there is secret spice magic that awakens the affinities of those who drink the misra tea. Sixteen-year-old Imani has the affinity for iron and is able to wield a dagger like no other warrior. She has garnered the reputation as being the next great Shield for battling djinn, ghouls, and other monsters spreading across the sands.
Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother, who tarnished the family name after it was revealed that he was stealing his nation’s coveted spice–a telltale sign of magical obsession. Soon after that, he disappeared, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes. Despite her brother’s betrayal, there isn’t a day that goes by when Imani doesn’t grieve him.
But when Imani discovers signs that her brother may be alive and spreading the nation’s magic to outsiders, she makes a deal with the Council that she will find him and bring him back to Qalia, where he will face punishment. Accompanied by other Shields, including Taha, a powerful beastseer who can control the minds of falcons, she sets out on her mission.
Imani will soon find that many secrets lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes–and in her own heart–but will she find her brother?
Which YA Fantasy releases are you looking forward to?
On December 13, Stephanie Garber revealed through Instagram, the title of the third and final book in her NYT Bestselling Once Upon A Broken Heart series which will be called A Curse For True Love, which will be releasing September 2023!
Evangeline Fox has grown up believing in true love, happy endings and the legends about immortals like the Prince Of Hearts. But, when she learns the love of her life will marry someone else, she turns to the prince for help.
Brief plot details reveal that the finale will contain as follows: “Two villains do battle for the heart of one girl in A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE, the deadly conclusion of the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy.”
Additionally, through her post Garber also stated “I hope you all love the title! I’m really excited that it’s no longer a secret and that I’ll get to share even more about this book in the upcoming months!”
A Curse For True Love is available for preorder through retailers such as Bookshop,B&N, and more!
For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings…until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.
Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.
But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game— and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy.
A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber is set to be released September 12, 2023!
On September 1, Simon Teen and author Margaret Rogerson, revealed the cover to the “cozy, romantic” follow-up novella to Sorcery Of Thorns, releasing early 2023!
According to the publisher, the novella titled Mysteries Of Thorn Manor, centers around Elisabeth, Nathaniel and Silas who must unravel a magic trap keeping them inside Thorn Manor, in time for a winter ball.
Cover artist is Charlie Bowater. Sorcery Of Thorns was a NYT Bestseller and Indie Next Top Pick for Summer of 2019.
Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city’s most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate’s wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor’’ occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another…
With no access to the outside world, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas—along with their new maid Mercy—will have to work together to discover the source of the magic behind the malfunctioning wards before they’re due to host the city’s Midwinter Ball. Not an easy task when the house is filled with unexpected secrets, and all Elisabeth can think about is kissing Nathaniel in peace. But when it becomes clear that the house, influenced by the magic of Nathaniel’s ancestors, requires a price for its obedience, Elisabeth and Nathaniel will have to lean on their connection like never before to set things right.
Mysteries Of Thorn Manor is set to be released January 17, 2023!
While 2022 is not over just yet, here on TheBookedShelf is a new feature where we’ll be spotlighting upcoming releases that based on the intriguing premise, you should add to your to-read list!
There’s a variety of novels across different sub-genres within Young Adult & the sincerest hope is you’ll discover some new reads, adding them to your tbr for the upcoming year!
Today’s Spotlight feature will highlight 10+ novels that don’t have covers yet, but definitely caught our attention based on the spectacular pitch, summary, title or familiarity with the author’s previous work:
We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim
Tara Sim, author of The Scavenge The Stars Duology and the Timekeeper Trilogy, returns to YA in this fantasy duology being published with Penguin Teen! She states it’s a “love letter to Indian mythology, Frankenstein, and gremlin girls vilified for their ambition.” An aesthetic based on the novel can be found on her Twitter here. We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim is slated for a Spring 2023 release!
The full summary reads: a young woman desperate to resurrect her sister escapes accusations of witchcraft by joining a group of rebels on the condition she raises their rightful prince from the dead.
I HAVE MORE YA COMING
WE SHALL BE MONSTERS is my love letter to Indian mythology, Frankenstein, and gremlin girls vilified for their ambition 💀👑🦋✨ pic.twitter.com/QuZWNx6m3B
In this coming-of-age YA gothic horror debut from Trang Thanh Tran, Jade Nguyen stays with her estranged father in Vietnam in a “quietly” scheming house, being published with Bloomsbury! Character art and additional elements to be found within the novel can be seen on the author’s Twitter here. She Is A Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran is slated for a January 2023 release with Bloomsbury!
The full summary reads: When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised. But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat. Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house—the home her family has always wanted—will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.
A Warning About Swans by R.M. Romero
Author of fairytales both for children and Young Adults, this will be Romero’s second Young Adult novel with Peachtree Teen, slated for 2023!
Not much is known about the novel yet, but based on the author’s Instagram, the novel will be in verse and most likely touch up historical & fairy tale elements as with her previous books.
Everyone’s Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni
Debut author Aleema Omotoni presents a reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in her debut the story has been pitched as being set “an elite boarding school in the English countryside [were] Nigerian cousins Iyanu and Kitan are thrown into the middle of a schoolwide conspiracy when everyone’s juicy relationship secrets are released, Burn Book style, the week before the annual Valentine’s Day Ball.”
The author has also pitched her novel through Twitter as being about “Black girls, desirability, joy & family, with messy boarding school kids keeping secrets & being obliviously in love.”
Everyone’s Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni is slated for a Spring 2023 release with Balzer + Bray.
The Summer I Ate The Rich by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
From author duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, The Summer I Ate The Rich is their newest YA, this time Contemporary Fantasy about zombies! According to Maritza Moulite’s Twitter the novel is “a whip smart YA fantasy defying economic + racial inequity & / inspired by Haitian Zombie lore.”
The initial summary follows a “teen zombie who uses her skills in the kitchen—and taste for human flesh—to get revenge on the wealthy elite responsible for her family’s pain.”
The Summer I Ate The Rich by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite is slated for a Fall 2023 with Fierce Reads and FSG.
THE SUMMER I ATE THE RICH (fall 2023):
🧟♀️whip smart YA fantasy defying economic + racial inequity
🇭🇹 inspired by Haitian zombie lore
📚 attn fans of MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER + PARASITE + @trishadeg
From writer and editor Ella Cerón comes her debut novel Viva Lola Espinoza set for a Spring 2023 release with Kokila. In this coming-of-age romance with a dash of magical realism, the story follows “a booksmart teen whose summer plans are derailed when she is sent to live with her grandmother in Mexico City and learns a family secret that changes her life forever.”
Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz
From debut author Zeba Shahnaz comes a twisted, time loop adventure following “lowborn Anaïs, whose attendance at the royal ball is disrupted by an explosion that rips through the palace at the stroke of midnight, killing everyone—again and again and again. To escape this nightmarish time loop, Anaïs must figure out who’s targeting the royal family with the help of the charming prince Leo, and hope they can survive past midnight.” Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz is slated for a Spring 2023 release with Delacorte.
According to Shahnaz initial deal post on Twitter, the novel will contain “thrilling action, deadly court intrigue, and swoony romance.” A cover reveal for Midnight Strikes will also take place on July 6, 2022!
If I Have To Be Haunted by Miranda Sun
In this contemporary fantasy debut from Miranda Sun, it follows a “Chinese American teen reluctantly embraces her ghost-speaking heritage to resurrect her nemesis, the local golden boy, from an otherworldly snake bite, rekindling a multi-generational feud—and maybe falling in love with him—in the process.” The novel is slated for a Summer 2023 release with HarperCollins.
As of May, Sun shared promotional art on Twitter alongside other elements to be expected in the novel!
The Witch And The Vampire by Francesca Flores
Coming March 2023 with Wednesday Books is YA Fantasy author Francesca Flores’s newest fantasy project, this time a Sapphic Rapunzel retelling where a witch and a vampire who trust no one, must journey together through a cursed forest.
The full summary for The Witch And The Vampire reads:
Ava and Kaye used to be best friends. Until one night two years ago, vampires broke through the magical barrier protecting their town, and in the ensuing attack, Kaye’s mother was killed, and Ava was turned into a vampire. Since then, Ava has been trapped in her house. Her mother needs her: Ava still has her witch powers, and Eugenia must take them in order hide that she’s a vampire as well. Desperate to escape her confinement, Ava needs to reach the vampires that live in the forest and to stop her mother’s plans for the town. When there is another attack, she sees her opportunity and escapes.
Kaye, now at the end of her training as a Flame witch, is ready to fulfill her duty of killing any vampires that threaten the town, including Ava. On the night that Ava escapes, Kaye follows her and convinces her to travel together into the forest, while secretly planning to turn her in. Ava agrees, hoping to rekindle their old friendship, and the romantic feelings she’d started to have for Kaye before that terrible night.
But with monstrous trees that devour humans whole, vampires who attack from above, and Ava’s stepfather tracking her, the woods are full of danger. As they travel deeper into the forest, Kaye questions everything she thought she knew. The two are each other’s greatest threat—and also their only hope, if they want to make it through the forest unscathed.
Which 2023 Young Adult Books are you looking forward to? What’s already on your TBR?
On June 13, Margaret Rogerson revealed through her Instagram that the NYT Bestselling 2019 standalone YA fantasy standalone novel Sorcery Of Thorns would be receiving a follow-up novella slated for a January 2023 release with Simon Teen titled The Mysteries Of Thorn Manor.
According to her post, the story will take place “two months after” the epilogue in Sorcery Of Thorns and is pitched as “a lighthearted, romantic comfort-read mystery that reveals previously untold secrets about the world and characters.” The book is planned to be released as a hardcover.
As for what inspired the novella Rogerson stated ” The truth is that I was in a dark place after Covid isolation and lost a lot of confidence in my writing. I decided to try this as a way to help rediscover my love of writing, and hopefully bring some comfort and happiness to my readers, too, since many of you have asked for some extra content like this…”
Rogerson also revealed that Charlie Bowater will return to design the cover. No additional news yet as to other translations for the title.
All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
The Mysteries Of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson is set to be released January 17, 2023!
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? 🎊📚
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!
The Booked Shelf 