January & February 2023 YA Cover Reveal Highlights

On The Booked Shelf we’re highlighting some of the many Young Adult covers revealed throughout the months of January & February! Get your tbr’s ready to add stunning debuts, sequels, sophomore releases from beloved authors, in addition to 2023 (even 2024) releases across fantasy, romance, to thriller, mystery and more! In case you missed them, here’s 12+ Covers!

On TBS all cover reveals are pitched with the source and if the information is available, the cover artist among other credits, a short blurb will accompany each book to offer a brief explanation as to what the novel is about.

Shadow Coven by S. Isabelle

As of January 13 via Twitter, author Sophie Isabelle revealed the sequel cover to her 2022 YA Paranormal debut The Witchery which will be titled Shadow Coven. Set at the Mesmortes Coven Academy, Logan is a witch struggling to control her powers and gets taken under the wing of the Red Three (Iris, Thalia, Jaliah). When the Haunting Season arrives and students turn up dead, these witches will have to join forces to stop the Wolves and break a hex on their haunted town.

The Haunting Season has ended, but dark magic lingers in the shadows.

After defeating the Wolves, Jailah, Logan, Iris, and Thalia want nothing more than a summer of fun and relaxation. But there is no rest for the wicked, especially when Death comes for Iris. She is to become a Reaper, tasked with banishing souls who refuse to cross over. But Iris suspects there’s something more ominous going on when Mathew’s role as her tether grows sinister.

Logan and Thalia are ready to prove themselves as witches. Except Logan still hears the howling Wolves and realizes that the Haunting Season may have awakened more than just her magic. And while Thalia wants to spend her days cleansing the Swamp for good, she finds herself heading to a place she swore she’d never go again: home. Witches have started going missing near Annex, and Thalia is convinced that her father is behind the disappearances. With the help of Logan and Trent, Thalia returns to stop him.

Meanwhile, Jailah is focused on her internship with the Haelsford Witchery Council until she discovers a treacherous magic hidden beneath Mesmortes, and there are those who will go to great lengths to keep it buried. So, she turns to the only person who understands, even if it’s the one witch who hates her the most.

Separated by distance, the coven is surrounded by magical and mundane threats that must be defeated before they lose their witchery–and each other–forever..

• Cover Illustrator: Thea Harvey – Cover Designer: Stephanie Yang – Release Date: September 19, 2023

Last Canto Of The Dead by Daniel José Older

Revealed on January 13 on the author’s Twitter, is the sequel + finale cover to the Outlaw Saints duology, a YA contemporary – urban fantasy set in Brooklyn where Mateo Matisse was born in the San Madrigal, an island in the Caribbean which for centuries has been refuge for pirates, Sephardic Jews fleeing the Inquisition and Cuban Santeros. Then a hurricane causes this diaspora to appear in Brooklyn and fifteen years later, Mateo is now a piano prodigy, but as he performs during the San Madrigal Grande Fete, gods and monsters appear. Then he’s thrust into into an ancient battle, unlocking magical powers that hold to key to uncovering the mystery of what happened to his homeland.

Two gods-turned-teenagers wage simultaneous battles in the Caribbean and Brooklyn in this sequel to Ballad & Dagger.

Healer. Destroyer. Creator. Mateo Matisse and Chela Hidalgo are not just two teenagers in love–they’re powerful gods in human form. Powerful enough to have saved their Brooklyn diaspora community from the wrath of an ancient enemy and to have raised their once-sunken native island of San Madrigal from the sea.

But soon they discover that their problems are far from over. On the shores of San Madrigal, two creature armies are battling for survival. And on the streets of Brooklyn, a once tight-knit community is divided, with two sides at each other’s throats. But worst of all, a heartbreaking prophecy rips these two young lovers apart, sending Mateo back to the city, where cops are now patrolling the streets, and keeping Chela tethered to the island, where chaos and death lurk around every corner.

Healer. Destroyer. Creator. As gods, their powers know no limits. But as teenagers–separated, desperate, grieving–what will become of them? And what will become of their people?

Join their battle and witness their love in this thrilling conclusion to the epic saga that began with BALLAD & DAGGER.

• Cover Artist: Daniel Dos Santos – Release Date: May 16, 2023

Fatima Tate Takes The Cake by Khadijah VanBrakle

As of January 18, debut YA author VanBrakle revealed via Twitter the cover to her debut coming-of-age novel centering around Fatima who loves baking and flirting with her new friend, but her parents approve of neither.

Seventeen-year-old Fatima Tate, aspiring baker (100% against her conservative parents’ wishes), leads a pretty normal life in Albuquerque: long drives with BFF Zaynab, weekly services at the mosque, big family parties, soup kitchen volunteering (the best way to perfect her flaky dough recipe!), stressing about college.

But everything changes when she meets a charming university student named Raheem. Knowing the ‘rents would FREAK, Fatima keeps their burgeoning relationship a secret… and then, one day, her parents and his parents decide to arrange their marriage. Amazing! True serendipity!

Except it’s not amazing. As soon as the ring is on Fatima’s finger, Raheem’s charm transforms into control and manipulation. Fatima knows she has to call the whole thing off, but Raheem doesn’t like to lose. He threatens to reveal their premarital sexual history and destroy her and her family’s reputation in their tight-knit Muslim community.

Fatima must find the inner strength to blaze her own trail by owning her body, her choices, and her future. Combining the frank authenticity of Elizabeth Acevedo and the complex social dynamics of Ibi Zoboi, FATIMA TATE TAKES THE CAKE is a powerful coming-of-age story that gives a much-needed voice to young Black Muslim women.

• Cover Artist: Fevik & Art Director: Kerry Martin – Release Date: June 13, 2023

A British Girl’s Guide To Hurricanes & Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey

On February 2, it was revealed through Twitter the cover to the A Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea & Tomorrow spin-off following Orion’s younger sister Flora who heads to Miami after the passing of her mother to see her long-time friend Gordon and meets Miami Cuban influencer Baz Marín, leaving her heart more conflicted than ever.

Winchester has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies, Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic ‘hurricane’ in her household, and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions. So she decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone –especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace.
 
But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn’t cast away her self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light.

• Cover Illustrator: Andi Porretta – Release Date: September 26, 2023

The Name Drop by Susan Lee

As of February 2, the cover for The Name Drop was revealed via Twitter. In a case of mistaken identity, two Korean-American teens find themselves in New York City for a summer at a massive tech corporation (one is Elijah the future CEO and the other is Jessica whose looking to make the most of her summer internship). After deciding to stay switched, they work to keep up the charade but also find themselves falling in love.

New from the author of Seoulmates comes the story of two teens who find themselves entangled in a case of switched identities at their prestigious summer internship–but the switch just might give them both the summer they’ve been looking for… and true love.

When Elijah Ri arrives in New York City for an internship at his father’s massive tech company, Haneul Corporation, he expects the royal treatment that comes with being the future CEO—even if that’s the last thing he wants. But instead, he finds himself shuffled into a group of overworked, unpaid interns, all sharing a shoebox apartment for the summer.

When Jessica Lee arrives in New York City, she’s eager to make the most of her internship at Haneul Corporation, even if she’s at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But she’s shocked to be introduced as the new executive-in-training intern with a gorgeous brownstone all to herself.

It doesn’t take long for Elijah and Jessica to discover the source of the mistake: they share the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched—so Elijah can have a relaxing summer away from his controlling dad while Jessica can make the connections she desperately needs for college recommendations.

As Elijah and Jessica work together to keep up the charade, a spark develops between them. Can they avoid discovery—and total disaster—with their feelings and futures on the line?

• Cover Artist: Michelle Kwon – Cover Designers: Gigi Lau & Alexandra Niit – Release Date: September 12, 2023

Prince Of Thorns & Nightmares by Linsey Miller

As of February 3, it was revealed through Twitter the cover to Miller’s newest installment in the Disney Princes Series. Prince Of Thorns & Nightmares is a YA Disney reimagining that’ll follow Sleeping Beauty from Prince Phillip’s point-of-view.

Prince Phillip tells his side of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty where once upon a dream was just the beginning…

Prince Phillip’s known from a young age that his destiny has already been decided for him by his father, King Hubert. His job is to smile and wave for the crowd and ride off into the sunset with his predetermined fiancé, Princess Aurora, after her curse is lifted on her sixteenth birthday. But just days before Aurora’s birthday party, Phillip experiences a strange burst of magic, and three fairies tell him that he is part of a prophecy set to defeat Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil. Suddenly Phillip feels as if he has a choice—maybe magic can be the freedom he has been looking for. 

Although, having magic and working with fairies to retrieve powerful ancient artifacts would be much more enjoyable if he didn’t have to deal with her every night, a girl named Briar Rose who appears in his dreams on the other side of a mystical thorn maze. Phillip doesn’t know how he can be so annoyed by a person he can’t even see but having to hear the mysterious maiden’s laughs and jabs at him every time he goes to sleep is worse than any nightmare. But Phillip is starting to realize that Briar Rose isn’t so different from himself, and maybe they can change both of their fates one dream at a time.

• Cover Illustrator: Brittany Jackson & Designer: Scott Piehl – • Release Date: October 3, 2023

The Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk

Revealed through Twitter on February 3, was Suk’s newest YA following “a girl who time travels to her memories through scent.”

Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel back to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she’ll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee’s fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life.

When Aimee disappears for nine hours into a memory of her estranged mom—a moment Aimee has never remembered before—she becomes distraught. Not only was this her longest disappearance yet, but the memory doesn’t match up with the story of how her mom left—at least, not the version she’s always heard from her dad.

Desperate for answers, Aimee travels to Korea, where she unravels the mystery of her memories, the truth about her mother, and the reason she keeps returning to certain moments in her life. Along the way, she realizes she’ll need to reconcile her past in order to save her present.

• Cover Illustrator / Artist: David Curtis – Release Date: October 31, 2023

Something Kindred by Ciera Burch

As of February 6, Burch revealed through Twitter the cover to her 2024 YA debut where Jericka finds herself in a small Maryland town for the summer to see her estranged dying grandmother. Meanwhile, Jericka’s meeting a ghost girl, grappling with secrets of her family’s past and the town that doesn’t want to let her go.

Magical realism meets Southern Gothic in this commanding young adult debut from Ciera Burch about true love, the meaning of home, and the choices that haunt us.

Welcome to Coldwater. Come for the ghosts, stay for the drama.

Jericka Walker had planned to spend the summer before senior year soaking up the sun with her best friend on the Jersey Shore. Instead she finds herself in Coldwater, Maryland, a small town with a dark and complicated past where her estranged grandmother lives—someone she knows only two things about: her name and the fact that she left Jericka’s mother and uncle when they were children. But now Jericka’s grandmother is dying, and her mother has dragged Jericka along to say goodbye.

As Jericka attempts to form a connection with a woman she’s never known, and adjusts to life in a town where everything closes before dinner, she meets “ghost girl” Kat, a girl eager to leave Coldwater and more exciting than a person has any right to be. But Coldwater has a few unsettling secrets of its own. The more you try to leave, the stronger the town’s hold. As Jericka feels the chilling pull of her family’s past, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about her mother, her childhood, and the lines between the living and the dead.

Everyone’s Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni

On February 8, it was revealed through Omotoni’s Twitter the cover to her forthcoming YA debut focusing on “chaotic teens at an elite boarding school in England.” With a mystery at the heart of the story, it’s been described as a loose reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Within the walls of Wodebury Hall, an elite boarding school in the English countryside, reputation is everything. But aspiring photographer Iyanu is more comfortable observing things safely from behind her camera.

For Iyanu’s estranged cousin, Kitan, life seems perfect. She has money, beauty, and friends like queen bee Heather. But as a Nigerian girl in a school as white and insular as Wodebury, Kitan struggles with the personal sacrifices needed to keep her place—and the protection she gets—within the exclusive popular crowd.

Then photos from Iyanu’s camera are stolen and splashed across the school—each with a juicy secret written on it. With everyone’s dirty laundry suddenly out in the open, the school explodes in chaos, and the whispers accusing Iyanu of being the one behind it all start to feel like déjà vu.

Each girl is desperate to unravel the mystery of who stole the photos and why. But exposing the truth will change them all forever.

• Cover Illustrator: Otesanya (IG) & Designer: Corina Lupp – Release Date: September 5, 2023

A Hundred Vicious Turns by Lee Paige O’Brien

Revealed through Twitter on February 9 was the debut cover to a YA fantasy centered around trans rivals at an elite magical university.

Rat Evans, nonbinary heir to one of the oldest magical bloodlines in New York, doesn’t cast spells anymore. For as long as Rat can remember, they’ve been surrounded by doorways no one else sees and corridors that aren’t on any map. Then one day, they opened a passage and found a broken tower in a field of weeds—and something followed them back.
 
When Rat is accepted into Bellamy Arts, all they want is a place to hide and to make sure they never open another passageway again. But when the only other person who knows what really happened last year—Harker Blakely, the dangerously gifted trans boy who used to be Rat’s closest friend—turns up on campus, Rat begins to realize that Bellamy Arts might not be as safe as they’d thought. And the tower might not be through with them yet.
 
Soon, Rat finds themself caught in a web of secrets and long-buried magic, with their friend-turned-enemy at their throat. But the closer they come to uncovering the truth about the tower, the further they’re drawn toward the unsettling powers that threaten to swallow them whole.

• Cover Illustrator: Corey Brickley & Designer: Deena Fleming – Release Date: September 12, 2023

The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker

Revealed via the author’s Twitter on February 10, was the cover to Lee Baker’s forthcoming YA necromancy-fantasy set during the Tang Dynasty.

Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist, of providing for her family by making alchemical gold and gems for the wealthy to eat in order to stay young forever. But for now, she’s trapped in her impoverished village in southern China, practicing an illegal form of alchemy to keep food on the table—resurrecting the dead, for a price.

When Zilan finally has the chance to complete her imperial exams, she ventures to the capital to compete against the best alchemists in the country in tasks she’ll be lucky to survive, let alone pass. On top of that, her reputation for raising the dead has followed her, and the Crown Prince himself seeks out her help, suspecting a coming assassination attempt.

The more Zilan succeeds in her alchemy, the more she gets caught in the dangerous political games of the royal family. There are monsters lurking within the palace walls, and it’s only a matter of time before they—and secrets of Zilan’s past—catch up with her.

• Cover Designer: Kathleen Oudit & Photography: Lillian Liu – Release Date: October 3, 2023

Hatchet Girls by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

On February 14 via Twitter Rodriguez Wallach revealed the cover to her 2023 Horror-Thriller novel Hatchet Girls set around an imagining if the history surrounding the Borden murders were repeated over 100 years later. Release date is slated to be October 10, 2023.

When Mariella Morse accuses her boyfriend, Vik Gomez, of murdering her wealthy parents with an axe, the town is quick to believe her. It doesn’t help that Vik is caught standing over her parents’ bodies with blood on his hands, unable to remember anything about the night in question.

But Vik’s sister, Tessa, knows that Vik would never be capable of such a gruesome crime. Haunted by the mistakes she made that led her family to move to Fall River, MA in the first place, she sets out to prove her brother’s innocence.

Tessa’s search for answers will lead her into a sprawling, notoriously cursed forest, where she and Mariella must face a darkness that has lurked within their town since before the days of Lizzie Borden—the original axe murderess of Fall River.

There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer

Revealed via Twitter on February 15, was the cover to Springer’s Contemporary-Horror Comedy debut about a scary movie buff who hosts a Halloween bash, but things take a sinister turn when she & her guests are forced to put their survival skills to the test.

Seventeen-year-old Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island?

With some of the top influencers in her school on the guest list, including gorgeous singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell, her popularity is bound to spike. She could really use the social boost for an upcoming brand expansion. Nothing is going to ruin this party.

Except…maybe the low budget It clown she hired for a stirring round of tag. He axes one of her classmates. From the looks of his devilish grin and bag full of killer tricks, he’s just getting started.

A murderous clown is out for blood, but Noelle has been waiting her entire life to prove that she’s a Final Girl.

• Cover artist: Betsy Cola – Release Date: September 5, 2023

The Search For Us by Susan Azim Boyer

On February 15 revealed via Twitter was the cover to Azim Boyer’s sophomore contemporary novel following “Two half-siblings who have never met embark on a search together for the Iranian immigrant and U.S. Army veteran father they never knew.”

Samira Murphy will do anything to keep her fractured family from falling apart, including caring for her widowed grandmother and getting her older brother into recovery for alcohol addiction. With attendance at her dream college on the line, she takes a long shot DNA test to find the support she so desperately needs from a father she hasn’t seen since she was a baby.

Henry Owen is torn between his well-meaning but unreliable bio-mom and his overly strict aunt and uncle, who stepped in to raise him but don’t seem to see him for who he is. Looking to forge a stronger connection to his own identity, he takes a DNA test to find the one person who might love him for exactly who he is—the biological father he never knew.

Instead of a DNA match with their father, Samira and Henry are matched with each other. They begin to search for their father together and slowly unravel the difficult truth of their shared past, forming a connection that only siblings can have and recovering precious parts of their past that have been lost. Brimming with emotional resonance, The Search for Us beautifully renders what it means to find your place in the world through the deep and abiding power of family.

Cover Artist: Petra Braun & Designer: Olga Grlic – Release Date: October 24, 2023

House Of Marionne by J. Elle

On February 16, via the author’s Twitter and Penguin Teen, the cover to Elle’s newest YA romantic fantasy series was revealed. According to the publisher it centers around “a glamorous magical world of social elites, forbidden love, and a dark magic that could destroy it all.”

From New York Times bestselling author J. Elle comes a modern-day YA romantic fantasy series opener about a glamorous magical world of social elites, forbidden love, and a dark magic that could destroy it all.

A must-read for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas, and Bridgerton.

BURY YOUR SECRET OR DIE FOR IT.

17 year-old Quell has lived her entire life on the run. She and her mother have fled from city to city, in order to hide the deadly magic that flows through Quell’s veins. 

Until someone discovers her dark secret.

To hide from the assassin hunting her, and keep her mother out of harm’s way, Quell reluctantly inducts into a debutante society of magical social elites called the Order that she never knew existed. If she can pass their three rites of membership, mastering their proper form of magic, she’ll be able to secretly bury her forbidden magic forever. If caught, she will be killed.

But becoming the perfect debutante is a lot harder than Quell imagined, especially when there’s more than tutoring happening with Jordan, her brooding mentor and— assassin in training. When Quell uncovers the deadly lengths the Order will go to defend its wealth and power, she’s forced to choose: embrace the dark magic she’s been running from her entire life or risk losing everything, and everyone, she’s grown to love.

Still, she fears the most formidable monster she’ll have to face is the one inside.

Brimming with ballgowns and betrayal, magic and mystery, decadence and darkness, House of Marionne is perfect for readers who crave morally gray characters, irresistible romance, dark academia, and a deeply intoxicating and original world.

• Cover Artist: Elena Masci & Designer: Theresa Evangelista – Release Date: August 29, 2023

A Tall Dark Trouble by Vanessa Montalban

Revealed through Tor.com on February 23, was the cover to Montalban’s YA contemporary fantasy debut following 3 generations of Cuban brujas navigating love, magic and murder set during present-day Miami and 1980’s Cuba.

Twin sisters Ofelia and Delfi know better than to get involved with magic. Their mom has seen to that. After all, it was magic that cursed their family, turning love into a poison. Romance is off the table for the Sanchez women. They’ve seen the curse take hold enough times to know how that road ends. And yet. Sometimes a girl catches feelings and just can’t help herself.

When Ofelia and Delfi begin having premonitions of a series of murders, the sisters know it is time to embrace their magical inheritance to get to the bottom of the mystery and save innocent lives. Teaming up with their best friend Ethan and with brooding detective-in-training Andres, the sisters set out to learn the truth. They just need to make sure Mami doesn’t find out what they’re up to.

Meanwhile, in 1980 Cuba, Anita struggles with a different magical conflict. Her mother, Mama Orti, is a bruja who belongs to a secret coven of elders and Anita knows she will be forced to join the coven herself one day. She sees no escape, though the thought of staying and letting this future claim her is terrifying. Ofelia, Delfi, and Anita’s stories collide as each woman steps into her power and embraces who she truly is, refusing to be subdued by any person, coven, or curse.

In this stunning YA contemporary fantasy, debut author Vanessa Montalban explores the interlocking struggles of three generations of women in one family. An unputdownable debut for anyone who roots for magic, sisterhood, and love.

• Cover Artist: Liliana Rasmussen – Release Date: August 29, 2023

Additional cover reveals:

↷WNDB revealed the cover to My Father, The Panda Killer / Magic Has No Borders / All The Fighting Parts
↷ Simon Teen, Epic Reads & Wednesday Books posted wrap-ups revealing their newest covers for the 2023 Fall season
↷ Revealed via the author’s social media for Page Street YA: YA debut pitched as Buffy x Filipino Folklore, YA Horror-Thriller about a girl who must figure out what happened to her older sister in house where they filmed an amateur horror film years ago
↷ On Las Musas Books was the cover to The Moonlit Vine a novel about a girl uncovering her Taino heritage
↷Jessica Lewis revealed via Twitter the cover to Monstrous pitched as following a “fierce, sapphic girl on a bloody quest for revenge and the giant snake contracted to help her”
↷ Susan Dennard revealed through her newsletter the sequel cover to The Luminaries titled The Hunting Moon

Which of these 2023 YA Novels are you most looking forward to?

‘A Warning About Swans’ by R.M. Romero Cover Reveal

On The Booked Shelf we’re doing a cover reveal highlight from January 12 via Twitter for A Warning About Swans by R.M. Romero, her newest original YA fairytale novel in verse about a swan girl dreamed into existence who rejects her gift to escape to the human world in 1880 Bavaria. Romero’s novel is slated for a Summer 2023 release with Peachtree Teen!

Hilde was dreamed into existence by Odin and alongside her five sisters, they were granted cloaks that allow them to transform into swans. Each of the sisters has a unique gift, Hilde’s of which involves being able to lead the souls of dying creatures to the afterlife. Hilde meets a handsome boy with no inheritance by the name of Baron Maximilian von Richter. The two form a pact, she will manifest the riches he desires and in return, he takes her to the human world.

After learning about activities deemed fashionable, in response to her struggling to fit in the court of King Ludwig II, Hilde hires non-binary Jewish artist Franz Mendelson to paint her portrait (of which he does so with wings). As she feels drawn to overtime, Richter becomes more controlling. Then when Hilde’s swan cloak goes missing, Mendelson’s gift in painting the true nature of souls becomes her only hope in having it returned.

As of January 30 during the ALA Youth Media Awards, Romero’s 2021 novel The Ghosts Of Rose Hill was recognized as a Sydney Taylor Notable Book, for books that “authentically portray” the Jewish experience (according to JewishLibaries.org)

Cover artist is Daria Hlazatova.

Swan Lake meets The Last Unicorn by way of the Brothers Grimm in a dreamy, original fairytale in verse which transports readers to the Bavarian Alps.

Bavaria. 1880. Hilde was dreamed into existence by the god Odin, and along with her five sisters, granted cloaks that transform them into swans. Each sister’s cloak is imbued with a unique gift, but Hilde rejects her gift which connects her to the souls of dying creatures and forces her to shepherd them into the afterlife—the “Other Wood.”

While guiding the soul of a hawk to the Other Wood, Hilde meets the handsome Baron Maximilian von Richter, whose father was once a favorite of the king and left him no inheritance. Hilde is intrigued by Richter’s longing for a greater life and strikes a deal with him: She will manifest his dreams of riches, and in return, he will take her to the human world, where she will never have to guide souls again.

But at the court of King Ludwig II in Munich, Hilde struggles to fit in. After learning that fashionable ladies are having themselves painted, she hires non-binary Jewish artist Franz Mendelson, and is stunned when Franz renders her with swan wings. The more time she spends with Franz, the more she feels drawn to the artist’s warm, understanding nature, and the more controlling Richter becomes. When Hilde’s swan cloak suddenly goes missing, only Franz’s ability to paint souls can help Hilde escape her newfound prison.

A Warning About Swans by R.M. Romero is set to be released July 11, 2023!

5+ Ways to Support your Favorite Authors outside of #Booktwt

Since news of Twitter’s new acquisition on October 27, many authors have felt it better to be less active on Twitter (or #Booktwt as its known to readers, authors and other bookish creatives) to focus on other platforms or remind readers of where else they can be found. Its likely that many readers still want to be able to connect, support, or stay up-to-date with their favorite authors and are unsure where to start!

So today on The Booked Shelf is a list of a few simple, but effective ways to digitally follow and stay in the loop to continue supporting authors whose work you love!

1. Learn whether they have a Website or Blog

Most authors have a main website or blog where they have information about them and their books all in one place. It’s the best way to learn if they have other platforms as well, high-res images of their covers or if they are online elsewhere.

2. Follow authors newsletters

Similar to no. 1, plenty of authors launch newsletters through mailchimp, or more recently substack to update readers on a more monthly basis about their upcoming releases, writing updates or what they’ve been up to. This is another simple way to keep updated about all the bookish this directly to your inbox.

Be sure to check out on their website or other socials if they have a newsletter already running.

3. Other social medias

Booktube, Booktok, Bookstagram, authors often juggle many other platforms as well. Recently, some authors have mentioned returning Instagram for starters to be more active, stepping away from twitter and they’ll often cross-promote via stories or posts on any bookish updates they have. Or perhaps they have a social media they just prefer more, be sure to see if they have any other platforms!

4. Request their books through your local library

Libraries are a great, cost-effective way to also support your favorite authors if you aren’t able to buy their books or pre-order for yourself. Library branches buy multiple copies of authors books and generally speaking, libraries are a great way to let them know your keeping authors books in circulation every time you check them out. You can always request your most anticipated titles via their website.

As YA author Lane Clarke mentioned in a 2022 tweet: “Don’t neglect your local libraries! Request the books you want them to carry! Libraries are how so many discover new authors and library orders go towards earning out! More requests = more demand = the more copies they carry! You don’t need to spend money to support authors :)”

Additionally, don’t neglect audiobooks or ebooks if your library has a way to request those too!

5. Add new releases or backlist titles to your Goodreads, Storygraph, etc.

It’ll let the algorithm be more aware of that title and allow it more discovery! Plus if your friends see these books, maybe they’ll look into them to, reading it for themselves. This can also include adding books to relevant lists, marking books that your excited for as “to-read” as soon as possible or recommending books to friends.

As of April 2022, according to Statista Goodreads garnered over 90 million members.

6. Tag their publishers with your love / support for the author’s titles

Publishers often don’t give equal support to all their authors, especially authors of color. The best we can do as readers is show our support in our content or posts we share featuring their books.

If you’re looking forward to reading their book and got a digital ARC or review copy, maybe you just bought a copy in stores, perhaps maybe pre-ordered― its simple, but will show the publisher you support their writers & the books by tagging them!

On an added note, follow the publishers and stay updated on the new releases from authors you love.

7. Research digital or in-person author events

When an author’s newest book is released, they’ll often be in conversation (discussion, panel, event, interview) with other authors or moderators to discuss their book! If you are able, sign-up for these digital events and show your support by attending, asking questions or boosting author’s events on social media.

What are some other ways you can support your favorite authors outside of Book Twitter? Any thoughts on this list?

‘Always Isn’t Forever’ by J.C. Cervantes Cover Reveal

On September 8, the Penguin Teen Blog revealed the cover to NYT Bestselling author J.C. Cervantes’s forthcoming 2023 YA romance titled Always Isn’t Forever.

Following two best friends who’ve known one another since they were six years old, Hart Agusto and Ruby Armenta are soulmates, ready to take on senior year together. However, Hart drowns tragically in a boating accident. As Ruby struggles to move on, Hart does too and due to some divine intervention, Hart’s soul transfers to the body of a local bad boy.

As posted on her Instagram Cervantes shared that her second Young Adult novel will feature her favorite trope which she calls “sandbox love” in addition to “tragedy, grief, shattered worlds, glimpses of the afterlife, rock star angels, but most of all a depth of love so rare it might break your heart.”

Cover illustrator is Karmen Loh and designer is Kristie Radwilowicz.

Best friends and soul mates since they were kids, Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta were poised to take on senior year together when Hart tragically drowns in a boating accident. Absolutely shattered, Ruby struggles to move on from the person she knows was her forever love.

Hart can’t let go of Ruby either…. Due to some divine intervention, he’s offered a second chance. Only it won’t be as simple as bringing him back to life—instead, Hart’s soul is transferred to the body of local bad boy.

When Hart returns to town as Jameson, he realizes that winning Ruby back will be more challenging than he’d imagined. For one, he’s forbidden from telling Ruby the truth. And with each day he spends as Jameson, memories of his life as Hart begin to fade away.

Though Ruby still mourns Hart, she can’t deny that something is drawing her to Jameson. As much as she doesn’t understand the sudden pull, it can’t be ignored. And why does he remind her so much of Hart? Desperate to see if the connection she feels is real, Ruby begins to open her heart to Jameson—but will their love be enough to bridge the distance between them?

Always Isn’t Forever by J.C. Cervantes is set to be released June 6, 2023!

Young Adult Cover Reveal Highlights For January 2022!

Here at The Booked Shelf we’ll be highlighting some covers that’ve been revealed during the first few months of 2022, in case you’ve missed them starting with January!

1. The Blood Of Troy by Claire M. Andrews

On January 4, TheNOVL revealed the sequel cover to Daughter Of Sparta. The first novel is a Greek myth reimagining of Daphne and Apollo, where the sequel, The Blood Of Troy, will delve into the Trojan War continuing Daphne’s story.

Cover artist is Amanda Hudson. The Blood Of Troy is set to be released September 6, 2022!

The Sparta you know will be gone forever on the bloody fields of Troy.

A year after Daphne saved the powers of Olympus by defeating Nyx, the Goddess of Darkness, she’s haunted by still-looming threats, her complicated feelings for the god Apollo, and the promise she made to the Olympian gods that she would help them again when they called upon her. When their command comes, it is deceptively simple: secure herself a spot as one of Queen Helen’s guards.

A war is coming, and all of Sparta must be prepared.

In the midst of a treaty summit among the monarchs of Greece, Daphne and Helen uncover a plot of betrayal—and soon, a battle begins. As the kingdoms of Greece clash on the shores of Troy and the gods choose sides, Daphne must use her wits, her training, and her precarious relationship with Apollo to find a way to keep her queen safe, stop the war, and uncover the true reason the gods led her to Troy in this thrilling sequel to Daughter of Sparta.

2. Princess Of Souls by Alexandra Christo

Revealed through Twitter on January 15 via FierceReads, was the cover to Alexandra Christo’s forthcoming release pitched as a “Rapunzel-inspired YA fantasy romance about a teen witch groomed to steal souls for an immortal king and the reckless, rebellious boy to whom her fate is tied.”

Cover artist is Goñi Montes and designers are Liz Dresner + Aurora Parlegreco. Princess Of Souls by Alexandra Christo is set to be released October 11, 2022!

For sixteen years, Selestra Somniatis has been trapped in a castle on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother’s place as King Seryth’s right hand. Tied by blood to steal souls for the immortal King of the Six Isles, the Somniatis Witch foretells the deaths of participants in the Festival of Predictions. To outrun your fate is to save your soul and steal the King’s immortality. But if you die, your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death.

As a soldier in King Seryth’s army, Nox Laederic is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but he has no plans to die at the hands of the King or his witches. His plan is more akin to violent revenge: steal the King’s immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra herself.

But when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, she sees her own death alongside his–their fates are unmistakably intertwined, and Selestra is no longer safe in the only home she’s ever known. Nox and Selestra will have to enter a turbulent alliance in order to survive long enough to free the Six Isles from King Seryth’s clutches and escape the new fate that hunts them.

3. Night Of The Raven, Dawn Of The Dove by Rati Mehrotra

On January 17, Rati Mehotra revealed the cover to her forthcoming fantasy debut through Twitter, which has been pitched as a “medieval Indian YA Fantasy about a sassy guardswoman, a handsome monk, and a plethora of monsters.”

Cover artist is Bunty Pundir and designer is Olga Grlic. Night Of The Raven, Dawn Of The Dove is set to be released October 18, 2022!

To learn what she can become, she must first discover who she is.

Katyani’s role in the kingdom of Chandela has always been clear: becoming an advisor and protector of the crown prince, Ayan, when he ascends to the throne. Bound to the Queen of Chandela through a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has grown up in the royal family and become the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen. But when a series of assassination attempts threatens the royals, Katyani is shipped off to the gurukul of the famous Acharya Mahavir as an escort to Ayan and his cousin, Bhairav, to protect them as they hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom. Nothing could annoy Katyani more than being stuck in a monastic school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul.

But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.

4. As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

Revealed through TheNOVL on January 17, was Katouh’s speculative YA debut following Salama Kassab, a pharmacy student who volunteers in a hospital in Syria during the revolution. However, she soon finds her grief has manifested into the form of a companion.

Alongside the cover reveal was a sneak peek. Cover artist is David Curtis. As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Kaouh is set to be released September 13, 2022!

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life.

Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe.

But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.

Soon, Salama 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. 

5. At Midnight: 15 Beloved Fairy Tales Reimagined edited by Dahlia Adler

As of January 20, Dahlia Adler revealed the cover to her forthcoming fairy tale anthology of which she is the editor, At Midnight through Twitter. Authors will include: Tracy Deonn, Darcie Little Badger, Stacey Lee, Anna-Marie McLemore, Grita Trelease, Hafsah Faizal, Roselle Lim, Malinda Lo, H.E. Edgmon, Alex London, Rebecca Podos and Rory Power.

Cover artist is Jon Contino and designer is Keith Hayes. At Midnight edited by Dahlia Adler is set to be released November 22, 2022!

Fairy tales have been spun for thousands of years and remain among our most treasured stories. Weaving fresh tales with unexpected reimaginings, At Midnight brings together a diverse group of acclaimed YA writers to breathe new life into a storied tradition.

Fifteen celebrated authors reclaim classic fairy tales for a new generation:

Dahlia Adler, “Rumplestiltskin”
Tracy Deonn, “The Nightingale”
H.E. Edgmon, “Snow White”
Hafsah Faizal, “Little Red Riding Hood”
Stacey Lee, “The Little Matchstick Girl”
Roselle Lim, “Hansel and Gretel”
Darcie Little Badger, “Puss in Boots”
Malinda Lo, “Frau Trude”
Alex London, “Cinderella”
Anna-Marie McLemore, “The Nutcracker”
Rebecca Podos, “The Robber Bridegroom”
Rory Power, “Sleeping Beauty”
Meredith Russo, “The Little Mermaid”
Gita Trelease, “Fitcher’s Bird”
and an all-new fairy tale by Melissa Albert

Once upon a time . . . 

7. If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So

Revealed through Twitter on January 21, was the cover to Cynthia So’s forthcoming f/f debut which is about “a summer of longing and searching, and finding things you thought you lost…” Following Elise, she’s always had a crush on Ada and not only have they never met in real life, but she lives an ocean away.

Cover illustrator is Nadia So and designer is Kimberly Chen. If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So is set to be released June 9, 2022!

Elsie has a crush on Ada, the only person in the world who truly understands her. Unfortunately, they’ve never met in real life and Ada lives an ocean away. But Elsie has decided it’s now or never to tell Ada how she feels. That is, until her long-lost best friend Joan walks back into her life.

In a summer of repairing broken connections and building surprising new ones, Elsie realises that she isn’t nearly as alone as she thought. But now she has a choice to make…

A lyrical contemporary story about falling in love and finding yourself in the process, for fans of THE BLACK FLAMINGO, THE FALLING IN LOVE MONTAGE and Alice Oseman.

8. Jazmine Zumideh Needs A Win by Susan Azim Boyer

On January 27, debut author Susan Azim Boyer revealed the cover to her forthcoming Historical Fiction novel through Twitter. Set in 1979, the novel will follow Susan whose running for class president who dreams of attending NYU, she decides to downplay her Iranian-American heritage during her campaign when an international incident dominates the news.

Cover artist is Petra Braun. Jazmine Zumideh Needs A Win by Susan Azim Boyer is set to be released November 1, 2022!

It’s 1979, and Jasmine Zumideh is ready to get the heck out of California and immerse herself in New York City’s exploding music scene. With NYU her dream school and journalism her intended major, she’s been obsessed with the East Coast the past four years.

There’s just one teeny problem: Due to a deadline snafu, she’s maaaaaaybe said she’s Senior Class President-Elect on her application—before the election takes place. But honestly, she’s running against Gerald Thomas, a rigid rule follower whose platform includes reinstating a dress code—so there’s no way she can lose. And she better not, or NYU will rescind her application.

But then, a group of students in Iran, fed up with the U.S.’s interference in Iranian politics, takes the American Embassy in Tehran—and the people within it—hostage. The Iran Hostage Crisis dominates the news, and suddenly, as an Iranian-American, Jasmine’s life becomes about a lot more than typical high school drama.

Fixated on her goals, Jasmine decides to downplay her heritage to win the election. But her brother, Ali, has become increasingly vocal about the U.S.’s toxic relationship with Iran. And Gerald’s empty campaign promise to “help” bring the hostages home (sure, good luck with that) has students suddenly sympathetic to his campaign. Now Jasmine is stuck between claiming her heritage or hiding it, standing by her brother or turning her back, winning the election or abandoning her dreams for good.

9. Beasts Of Ruin by Ayana Gray

Revealed through a People exclusive on January 27, was the sequel cover to NYT Bestselling Author Ayana Gray’s Beasts Of Prey which is titled Beasts Of Ruin. In addition, a new cover was revealed for Gray’s first novel which follows two teens who enter a magical jungle to find a monster, but get more than they bargained for.

Cover artist is Elena Masci. Beasts Of Ruin by Ayana Gray is set to be released July 26, 2022!

In this much anticipated follow up to New York Times bestselling Beasts of Prey, Koffi’s powers grow stronger and Ekon’s secrets turn darker as they face the god of death.

Koffi has saved her city and the boy she loves, but at a terrible price. Now a servant to the cunning god of death, she must use her newfound power to further his continental conquest, or risk the safety of her home and loved ones. As she reluctantly learns to survive amidst unexpected friends and foes, she will also have to choose between the life—and love—she once had, or the one she could have, if she truly embraces her dangerous gifts.

Cast out from the only home he’s ever known, Ekon is forced to strike new and unconventional alliances to find and rescue Koffi before it’s too late. But as he gets closer to the realm of death each day, so too does he draw nearer to a terrible truth—one that could cost everything.

Koffi and Ekon—separated by land, sea, and gods—will have to risk everything to reunite again. But the longer they’re kept apart, the more each of their loyalties are tested. Soon, both may have to reckon with changing hearts—and maybe, changing destinies. 

10. The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

As of January 31, Teen Vogue exclusively revealed the cover to Andrew’s debut urban fantasy novel following a Deaf college student with a peculiar connection to the afterlife. Written in dual POV, Delany will team up Colton Price, an upperclassmen with secrets of his own. Yet, the two will have to team up when a student turns up dead.

Cover artist is Sasha Vinogradova. The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew is set to be released November 1, 2022!

Delaney Meyers-Petrov is tired of being seen as fragile just because she’s Deaf. So when she’s accepted into a prestigious program at Godbole University that trains students to slip between parallel worlds, she’s excited for the chance to prove herself. But her semester gets off to a rocky start as she faces professors who won’t accommodate her disability, and a pretentious upperclassman fascinated by Delaney’s unusual talents.

Colton Price died when he was nine years old. Quite impossibly, he woke several weeks later at the feet of a green-eyed little girl. Now, twelve years later, Delaney Meyers-Petrov has stumbled back into his orbit, but Colton’s been ordered to keep far away from the new girl… and the voices she hears calling to her from the shadows.

Delaney wants to keep her distance from Colton — she seems to be the only person on campus who finds him more arrogant than charming — yet after a Godbole student turns up dead, she and Colton are forced to form a tenuous alliance, plummeting down a rabbit-hole of deeply buried university secrets. But Delaney and Colton discover the cost of opening the doors between worlds when they find themselves up against something old and nameless, an enemy they need to destroy before it tears them — and their forbidden partnership — apart.

Additional Cover Reveals ↷

• Jan. 12: I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman revealed through Twitter

• Jan. 20: Marissa Meyer cover for Cursed

• Jan. 21: IREADYA Series of cover reveals (Twitter)

• Jan. 24: Tor revealed the second book in the Lake’s Edge duology (Blog)

• Jan. 27: Ellie Marney revealed the cover to her YA Thriller debut titled THE KILLING CODE through Twitter

• Wedenday Books & Penguin Teen revealed a series of covers for 2022 Releases: 99 Boyfriends, Break This House, & Seton Girls

Which of these 2022 releases are you looking forward to?

February 2022 YA Releases For Your TBR

2022 is well under way and that means, tons of new Young Adult books to look forward to! February is packed with highly anticipated titles across fantasy and contemporary readers will be eager to devour once they hit shelves.

1. The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Release Date: February 1, 2022

Summary: Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. When she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she’s determined to make it work even though she’s never felt more out of place. But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unfazed, but it leaves her unsure of what she’s gotten herself into.

As she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn’t what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she’s not sure if she can trust anyone–especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn. 

2. Murder Of Crows by K. Ancrum
Release Date: February 1, 2022

Summary: Tig Torres investigates Hollow Falls’ horrific history in this original novel based on the hit podcast Lethal Lit from Einhorn’s Epic Productions and iHeartRadio!

Lethal Lit follows Tig Torres, a Cuban American teen detective, in her hometown of Hollow Falls. In season one of the hit podcast, Tig used her smarts and fearlessness to track down the infamous “Lit Killer,” a serial killer who staged his murders after death scenes from famous books. But there’s no rest for courageous, mystery-solving teens in a place like Hollow Falls, and though the Lit Killer is now behind bars, his protégé, Tig’s classmate and crush Oly, has disappeared!

And that’s not the only game afoot. Tig has caught the attention of the town’s local armchair detective group, the Murder of Crows. They’re obsessed with Hollow Falls’ dark past and fixated on a dangerous search for the missing body of the town’s founder. There are rumors about what’s buried with the body that could be life-changing for whoever finds it, and with a mission like that underway, it’s not long before a member of the Murder of Crows turns up dead.

Tig, along with her friends Max and Wyn, steps in to help, but the stakes are getting higher and the hunt more deadly. Someone’s willing to kill to keep the town’s secrets buried, and if Tig’s not careful, she’ll be the Murder of Crows’ next victim.

3. Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor
Release Date: February 1, 2022

Summary: Flare is power.

With only a drop of flare, one can light the night sky with fireworks . . . or burn a building to the ground — and seventeen-year-old Ingrid Ellis wants her fair share.

Ingrid doesn’t have a family fortune, monetary or magical, but at least she has a plan: Rise to the top on the arm of Linden Holt, heir to a hefty political legacy and the largest fortune of flare in all of Candesce. Her only obstacle is Linden’s father who refuses to acknowledge her.

So when Senator Holt announces his run for president, Ingrid uses the situation to her advantage. She strikes a deal to spy on the senator’s opposition in exchange for his approval and the status she so desperately craves. But the longer Ingrid wears two masks, the more she questions where her true allegiances lie. Will she stand with the Holts, or will she forge her own path?

4. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Release Date: February 1, 2022

Summary: Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

5. Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen R. Lee
Release Date: February 1, 2022

Summary: A striking debut novel about racism on elite college campuses. Fans of Dear White People will embrace this activist-centered contemporary novel about a college freshman grappling with the challenges of attending an elite university with a disturbing racist history–that may not be as distant as it seems.

Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sites were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?

Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face-to-face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then, Clive Wilmington’s statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale’s most popular student and son to a local prominent family. Soon, Savannah is unearthing the hidden secrets of Wooddale’s racist history. But what’s the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale’s past cost Savannah her own future?

6. Castles In Their Bones by Laura Sebastian
Release Date: February 1, 2022

Summary: Empress Margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz will be queens. And now, age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes.

Beautiful, smart, and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides—because Margaraux knows there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. Which is a grave mistake. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are no innocents. They have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a singular goal—to bring down monarchies— and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother’s grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria.

The princesses have spent their lives preparing, and now they are ready, each with her own secret skill, and each with a single wish, pulled from the stars. Only, the stars have their own plans—and their mother hasn’t told them all of hers.

Life abroad is a test. Will their loyalties stay true? Or will they learn that they can’t trust anyone—not even each other?

7.This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: February 1, 2022

Summary: To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.

8.No Filter And Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado
Release Date: February 8, 2022
Pre-Order Campaign (ends 2/8/2022)

Summary: You should know, right now, that I’m a liar. They’re usually little lies. Tiny lies. Baby lies. Not so much lies as lie adjacent. But they’re still lies.

Twenty one-year-old Max Monroe has it all: beauty, friends, and a glittering life filled with adventure. With tons of followers on Instagram, her picture-perfect existence seems eminently enviable.

Except it’s all fake.

Max is actually 16-year-old Kat Sanchez, a quiet and sarcastic teenager living in drab Bakersfield, California. Nothing glamorous in her existence–just sprawl, bad house parties, a crap school year, and the awkwardness of dealing with her best friend Hari’s unrequited love. But while Kat’s life is far from perfect, she thrives as Max: doling out advice, sharing beautiful photos, networking with famous influencers, even making a real friend in a follower named Elena. The closer Elena and “Max” get–texting, Snapping, and even calling–the more Kat feels she has to keep up the facade.

But when one of Max’s posts goes ultra-viral and gets back to the very person she’s been stealing photos from, her entire world – real and fake — comes crashing down around her. She has to figure out a way to get herself out of the huge web of lies she’s created without hurting the people she loves.

But it might already be too late.

9. Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
Release Date: February 8, 2022
Pre-Order Campaign (ends 2/14/2022)

Summary: Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her best friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys – way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her endless stream of crushes, but Ophelia is a romantic at heart. She couldn’t change, even if she wanted to.

So when she finds herself thinking more about cute, quiet Talia Sanchez than the loss of a perfect prom with her ex-boyfriend, seeds of doubt take root in Ophelia’s firm image of herself. Add to that the impending end of high school and the fracturing of her once-solid friend group, and things are spiraling a little out of control. But the course of love–and sexuality–never did run smooth. As her secrets begin to unravel, Ophelia must make a choice between clinging to the fantasy version of herself she’s always imagined or upending everyone’s expectations to rediscover who she really is, after all.

10. Lulu And Milagro’s Search For Clarity by Angela Velez
Release Date: February 8, 2022
Pre-Order Campaign (ends 2/18/2022)

Summary: Overachiever Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight As, perfect attendance, and a solid ten-year plan. First up: nail her interview for a dream internship at Stanford, the last stop on her school’s cross-country college road trip. The only flaw in her plan is Clara, her oldest sister, who went off to college and sparked a massive fight with their overprotective Peruvian mom, who is now convinced that out-of-state-college will destroy their family. If Lulu can’t fix whatever went wrong between them, the whole trip—and her future—will be a waste.

Middle sister Milagro wants nothing to do with college, or a nerdy class field trip. Then a spot opens up on the trip just as her own Spring Break plans (Operation: Lose Your Virginity) are thwarted, and she hops on the bus with her glittery lipsticks, more concerned about getting back at her ex than she is about schools or any family drama. But the trip opens her eyes about possibilities she’d never imagined for herself. Maybe she is more than the boy-crazy girl everyone seems to think she is.

On a journey from Baltimore all the way to San Francisco, Lulu and Milagro will become begrudging partners as they unpack weighty family expectations, uncover Clara’s secrets, and maybe even discover the true meaning of sisterhood.

11. Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
Release Date: February 8, 2022

Summary: Sunny G’s brother left him one thing when he died: His notebook, which Sunny is determined to fill up with a series of rash decisions. Decision number one was a big one: He stopped wearing his turban, cut off his hair, and shaved his beard. He doesn’t look like a Sikh anymore. He doesn’t look like himself anymore. Even his cosplay doesn’t look right without his beard.

Sunny debuts his new look at prom, which he’s stuck going to alone. He’s skipping the big fandom party—the one where he’d normally be in full cosplay, up on stage playing bass with his band and his best friend, Ngozi—in favor of the Very Important Prom Experience. An experience that’s starting to look like a bust.

Enter Mindii Vang, a girl with a penchant for making rash decisions of her own, starting with stealing Sunny’s notebook. When Sunny chases after her, prom turns into an all-night adventure—a night full of rash, wonderful, romantic, stupid, life-changing decisions.

12. Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams
Release Date: February 8, 2022

Summary: As infants, twin sisters Charlie Yates and Magnolia Heathwood were secretly separated after the brutal lynching of their parents, who died for loving across the color line. Now, at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, Charlie is a young Black organizer in Harlem, while white-passing Magnolia is the heiress to a cotton plantation in rural Georgia.

Magnolia knows nothing of her racial heritage, but secrets are hard to keep in a town haunted by the ghosts of its slave-holding past. When Magnolia finally learns the truth, her reflection mysteriously disappears from mirrors—the sign of a terrible curse. Meanwhile, in Harlem, Charlie’s beloved grandmother falls ill. Her final wish is to be buried back home in Georgia—and, unbeknownst to Charlie, to see her long-lost granddaughter, Magnolia Heathwood, one last time. So Charlie travels into the Deep South, confronting the land of her worst nightmares—and Jim Crow segregation.

The sisters reunite as teenagers in the deeply haunted town of Eureka, Georgia, where ghosts linger centuries after their time and dangers lurk behind every mirror. They couldn’t be more different, but they will need each other to put the hauntings of the past to rest, to break the mirrors’ deadly curse—and to discover the meaning of sisterhood in a racially divided land.

13. Golden Boys by Phil Stamper
Release Date: February 8, 2022
Pre-Order Campaign (ends 2/7/2022)

Summary: Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. They are about to embark on the summer before senior year of high school, where each is going on a new, big adventure. Reese is attending a design school in Paris. Gabriel is going to Boston to volunteer with a environmental nonprofit. Sal is interning on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator. And Heath is stuck going to Daytona Beach to help out at his aunt’s beachfront arcade.

What will this summer of new experiences and world-expanding travel mean for each of them—and for their friendship?

14. You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen
Release Date: February 8, 2022
Pre-Order Campaign (ends 2/15/2022)

Summary: In this compelling and thought-provoking debut novel, after a terrorist attack rocks the country and anti-Islamic sentiment stirs, three Black Muslim girls create a space where they can shatter assumptions and share truths.

Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.

Soon two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join Bri to run You Truly Assumed and the three quickly form a strong friendship. But as the blog’s popularity grows, so do the pushback and hateful comments. When one of them is threatened, the search to find out who is behind it all begins, and their friendship is put to the test when all three must decide whether to shut down the blog and lose what they’ve worked for…or take a stand and risk everything to make their voices heard.

15. Rima’s Rebellion: Courage in a Time of Tyranny by Margarita Engle
Release Date: February 15, 2022

Summary: Rima loves to ride horses alongside her abuela and Las Mambisas, the fierce women veterans who fought during Cuba’s wars for independence. Feminists from many backgrounds have gathered in voting clubs to demand suffrage and equality for women, but not everybody wants equality for all—especially not for someone like Rima. In 1920s Cuba, illegitimate children like her are bullied and shunned.

Rima dreams of a day when she is free from fear and shame, the way she feels when she’s riding with Las Mambisas. As she seeks her way, Rima forges unexpected friendships with others who long for freedom, especially a handsome young artist named Maceo. Through turbulent times, hope soars, and with it…love. 

16. The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian
Release Date: February 15, 2022

Summary: Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of judgment from her roommate, Sarah.

But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story.

Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah.

Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms.

And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but has fallen hard for Spence and knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin.

At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?

17. Reclaim The Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space edited by Zoraida Córdova
Release Date: February 15, 2022
Pre-Order Campaign (ends 2/14/2022)

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.

18. Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi
Release Date: February 15, 2022

Summary: 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 town 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 the adults say is “just the way things are.

Pulled between old friendships, her creative passion, and a new romance, Bitter isn’t sure where she belongs – in the art 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?

19. All The Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle
Release Date: February 15, 2022

Summary: The Bachelor meets Gilmore Girls in this laugh-out-loud young adult romance about a girl who joins her mother on a reality dating show for single parents—only to fall for a contestant’s son.

Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.

The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.

As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV.

20. The Turning Pointe by Vanessa L. Torres
Release Date: February 22, 2022
Pre-Order Campaign (Ends 2/22/2022)

Summary: A bold and emotionally gripping novel about a teenage Latinx girl finding freedom through dance and breaking expectations in 1980s Minnesota.

When sixteen-year-old Rosa Dominguez pirouettes, she is poetry in pointe shoes. And as the daughter of a tyrant ballet Master, Rosa seems destined to become the star principal dancer of her studio. But Rosa would do anything for one hour in the dance studio upstairs where Prince, the Purple One himself, is in the house.

After her father announces their upcoming auditions for a concert with Prince, Rosa is more determined than ever to succeed. Then Nikki–the cross-dressing, funky boy who works in the dance shop–leaps into her life. Weighed down by family expectations, Rosa is at a crossroads, desperate to escape so she can show everyone what she can do when freed of her pointe shoes. Now is her chance to break away from a life in tulle, grooving to that unmistakable Minneapolis sound reverberating through every bone in her body.

21. League Of Liars by Astrid Scholte
Release Date: February 22, 2022
Pre-Order Campaign (ends 2/21/22)

Summary: Ever since his mother was killed, seventeen-year-old Cayder Broduck has had one goal–to see illegal users of magic brought to justice. People who carelessly use extradimensional magic for their own self-interest, without a care to the damage it does to society or those around them, deserve to be punished as far as Cayder is concerned. Because magic always has a price. So when Cayder lands a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apprentice under a premier public defender, he takes it. If he can learn all the tricks of public defense, the better he’ll be able to dismantle defense arguments when he’s a prosecutor. Then he’ll finally be able to make sure justice is served.

But when he meets the three criminals he’s supposed to defend, it no longer seems so black and white. They’re teenagers, like him, and their stories are . . . complicated, like his. Vardean, the prison where Cayder’s new clients are incarcerated, also happens to be at the very heart of the horrible tear in the veil between their world and another dimension–where all magic comes from.

22. The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh
Release Date: February 22, 2022
Pre-Order Campaign (Limited spots)

Summary: Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.

Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…

23. Only A Monster by Vanessa Len
Release Date: February 22, 2022

Summary: It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

. . . she is not the hero.

24. Daughters Of A Dead Empire by Carolyn Tara O’Neil
Release Date: February 22, 2022

Summary: Russia, 1918: With the execution of Tsar Nicholas, the empire crumbles and Russia is on the edge of civil war—the poor are devouring the rich. Anna, a bourgeois girl, narrowly escaped the massacre of her entire family in Yekaterinburg. Desperate to get away from the Bolsheviks, she offers a peasant girl a diamond to take her as far south as possible—not realizing that the girl is a communist herself. With her brother in desperate need of a doctor, Evgenia accepts Anna’s offer and suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of the war.

Anna is being hunted by the Bolsheviks, and now—regardless of her loyalties—Evgenia is too.

Daughters of a Dead Empire is a harrowing historical thriller about dangerous ideals, loyalty, and the price we pay for change. An imaginative retelling of the Anastasia story

What February YA Releases are you looking forward to?

10 YA Anthologies You Should Check Out

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!

A Thousand Beginnings And Endings edited by Ellen Oh & Elise Chapman
Release Date: June 26, 2018

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.

Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love edited by Elise Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond
Release Date: June 18, 2019

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. 

A Phoenix First Must Burn: 16 Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope edited by Patrice Caldwell
Release Date: March 10, 2020

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.

Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker
Release Date: September 22, 2020

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.

A Universe Of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology edited by Dhonielle Clayton
Release Date: December 8, 2020

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.

Fools In Love: Fresh Twists On Romantic Tales edited by Ashley Herring Blake & Rebecca Podos
Release Date: December 7, 2021

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.

Game On: 15 Stories of Wins, Losses and Everything In Between edited by Laura Silverman
Release Date: January 18, 2022

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.

Reclaim The Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space edited by Zoraida Córdova
Release Date: February 15, 2022

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.

Interview With A Book Blogger feat. Michelle from @Magical_Reads

Hey 24hr.YABookBlog, creator of The Booked Shelf here! Its a new year which not only means I’m highlighting YA Book News, but also the fantastic bloggers in the bookish community!

I had the opportunity to interview Michelle from MagicalReads7, who brings such a fun energy and enthusiasm to whatever she posts! She reads a variety of genres including contemporary and fantasy, but remains a mostly YA space.

Today marks the first Book Blogger interview of 2022, hopefully to remain a staple alongside all the bookish news here at TBS, enjoy our interview!

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Great to have you as a guest on the blog today Michelle! What inspired you to start a book blog and how has the journey been so far?

Michelle: Thanks for having me! I’m honored to be a part of your interviews. I started a book blog mostly because one day I decided to write book reviews and wanted a platform to post all of them. My journey has been pretty typical honestly; starting my blog has helped me connect a lot more with authors and other bloggers.

You launched the ‘Author Of Color’ Awards to give writers of color (particularly YA) more recognition, which is such a wonderful project that I noticed you launched in 2019! Can you talk more about what inspired this and more of your process for putting it together each year?

Michelle: I started these awards on a whim (during the busiest part of my semester lmao) partially to procrastinate and mostly because I was fed up with the nominees for the Goodreads Choice Awards. As much as I know that those nominees are chosen by statistics, it was painful and frankly infuriating to see the pattern of how certain books were nominated. I wanted to give more recognition to books by authors of color because of how disproportionately they were represented as nominees, and I focused on YA books because I’m primarily a YA blogger!

↪ You can view the 2021 Results HERE

On your blog you feature such varying amounts of content from reviews to interviews, weekly memes, discussions, fun lists, etc. Which is your favorite kind of post and can you share your process for creating them?

Michelle: My favorite kinds of posts are actually my discussion posts! Creating book rec lists is fun too but so time consuming (putting together the list itself, formatting the post, etc.). Discussion posts are basically a way for me to write 1000 words on a random topic and unload my mostly unfiltered thoughts.

Can you recommend some of your favorite books & what you love about them so much?

Michelle: Oh, it’s so difficult to choose just a few…I love Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta; frankly, all of her books have such a close place in my heart, as do Emma Mills’s books, particularly Foolish Hearts. I honestly could not tell you why I emotionally attach to certain books, but once I do, I usually reread them constantly.

I’ve noticed quite a number of lists on your blog too! Which one did you enjoy creating the most & why?

Michelle: I love the emoji series where you can click on an emoji and I’ll give you a release from a certain month of the year. It’s a fun way for me to match books to emojis and allows for a certain personalization for the people reading the list.

A staple for many book bloggers are reviews! Can you share some of your favorites that you’ve written on Magical Reads?

Michelle: Some of my favorite reviews that I’ve written are for These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong, A Pho Love Story by Loan Le, Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi, Cloudwish by Fiona Wood, Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills, and The Gilded Wolves and The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi.

What kinds of stories and genres do you love reading the most?

Michelle: I used to be a huge fantasy reader, but over the past couple of years, I’ve been more into contemporary. I love stories where I instantly connect to the protagonist/characters no matter the genre though!

What inspires you as a content creator?

Michelle: People interacting with my posts and finding new books inspires me! I love when people @ me to tell me they found a new recommendation from me.

Any difficulties or challenges you’ve faced as a book blogger and how did you overcome them?

Michelle: Personally, I’ve gone through a few blogging slumps where I’m burned out and never feel like working on my blog. These usually pass; I try to still write posts but not as often to give myself a break. I think it’s important to know that, if you’re not enjoying it, you can and should take a break!

Favorite part about being a book blogger?

Michelle: This sounds so braggy but I like getting ARCs and getting to read books early because it helps me hype the book more before its release. While you can still promote the book early without reading it, I’ve found that it’s easier when you’ve already read it so you can talk about specifics.

Any other interests you have outside of blogging?

Michelle: I used to play the piano and will still randomly sit down and play for a bit. I also watch and rewatch a lot of TV shows. During quarantine, I meant to get into embroidery but that didn’t quite pan out…

Thank you Michelle for sharing about yourself as a book blogger & highlighting your work in the bookish community!

Michelle (Magical Reads) is a book reader, reviewer, and blogger. She’s a college student who can usually be found reading instead of studying.

‘The Lies We Tell’ by Katie Zhao Cover Reveal

On November 18 Katie Zhao, debut author of How We Fall Apart, revealed the cover to her second dark academia novel through a book trailer. Slated for a 2022 release, it will be titled The Lies We Tell!

According to artwork she posted on her Twitter as of July 22, the novel’s summary pitch is stated as “A Chinese American college freshman investigates an unsolved murder case on campus – putting her life in danger, with a social media stalker determined to stop her, & crimes happening again on campus..”

Zhao also mentioned the novel is fitting for those who enjoy “college campus murder mysteries, rivals-to-lovers, & academic banter.”

Cover designers are the Bloomsbury design team.

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?

The Lies We Tell by Katie Zhao is set to be released August 9, 2022!

‘Legend’ To Be Adapted As A TV Series

On November 18, Deadline exclusively reported that Marie Lu’s 2011 NYT Bestselling YA Dystopian novel Legend, has been optioned by Bound Entertainment to bring the novel to television.

Lu is collaborating with Lindsay Sturman (known for projects such as Supergirl and Teen Wolf), alongside Bound Entertainment’s Samuel Yeunju Ha and Jamie Lai who will serve as executive producers.

According to her Instagram post from November 18, she’s been working on the pilot script during “all of this fall” and has been able to get “back in the heads of Day and June, getting to explore their universe from an entirely new angle.”

Lu’s dystopian is set in a futuristic United States where 15-year-old prodigy June has grown up for success in the highest military circles and 15-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. One day when June’s brother Metias is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect, June goes undercover to avenge him. However, when the two race to achieve their own goals and find themselves colliding, they’ll uncover sinister truths about their country.

Legend has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Bound Entertainment, the Korean-based entertainment studio, is focused on sharing stories from and about the Asian diaspora and also optioned Stacy Lee’s ‘The Downstairs Girl‘ earlier this year.

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal.

But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

The Legend Series by Marie Lu is out now!