Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.
It’s kind of hard to believe we’re now in the second half of the year and half way through the seventh month of the year. It has both sped by and been extremely slow. The good news is that we’ve had so many great YA releases hit shelves this year, so there’s always something to look forward to reading.
More good news? It’s a very quiet week in publishing, which means you can both get to know almost every book hitting shelves this week and you can use the time you’re not catching up with new releases to finally pick up that other book (or 10) sitting on your TBR.
The same disclaimer from the last couple of weeks applies here as well: there are fewer inclusive titles than I’d like to showcase. This is not because of a lack of books being published by or featuring an array of experiences. It’s because the number of books being published this week is simply not big. In other words, this roundup isn’t reflective of YA as a whole.
New Hardcover YA Releases This Week
After We Burned by Marieke Nijkamp
One student died after a fire burned down the high school in Fenix. While the town mourns, though, the question is whether or not anyone really knew Eden–the person killed in the blaze–when she was alive.
Nijkamp’s next novel follows five teens who know something about what happened the day of the fire, and each has many secrets they want to hold on to tightly. . . including why Eden was at the school when the blaze took it down.
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Climate of Chaos by Cassandra Newbould
Set in a dystopian Seattle, Newbould’s novel follows as the planet’s population is being ravaged by unbelievable storms and a raging virus. Those with privilege live in safe domes while everyone else makes due where they can.
This is where we find Fox and and her younger sister Rabbit. The siblings lost their parents in a storm which also left Fox disabled. The two are taking part in their aunt’s mercenary group Still Alive that helps secure medical access for those who managed to survive the storm.
But a medical supply heist goes wrong, and Rabbit is taken captive. Still Alive won’t put their efforts into rescuing her, so now, it’s up to Fox to do it. It won’t be easy nor safe, and the more Fox learns about the true intents behind Still Alive, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about the group, about the planet, and about where and how she and her sister can even survive any longer.
Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge
Be ready for what is going to be a deluge of romantasy in the fall, with this being one of the first titles in that upcoming rise. This one’s being described as Fourth Wing meets Iron Widow and is an enemies-to-lovers romance.
Kel, like so many others on her island, races phoenixes. Her team, the Crimson Howlers, are underdogs, but they are going to do all they can to win the races and get the money that comes with it. Kel’s looking at Warren “Coup” Coupers to be their new rider, even though he is one of her fiercest rivals.
Kel’s also accepted a job from a tech mogul, who seems to be taking an interest in her phoenix. She’s desperate now, and her desperation leads her to making choices and decisions that put her, her team, and especially Coup, in the crosshairs of danger.
The book promises political scheming, magic, and “jaw-dropping” confessions (and romance, obv).
New Hardcover Series Releases:
- Fateless by Julie Kagawa
New Paperback YA Releases This Week
Hit Me With Your Best Charm by Lillie Vale
If you like books with love, magic, and hexes, this cutie will be up your alley (the cover is so charming!).
Prior’s End is a town known for three things: the annual Fall Festival, a legend involving a wishing well in a forest that contains many a secret, and Nova’s missing father, who was a hiker.
Things feel like they’re getting easier for Nova the longer her father is gone. That includes better stuffing down feelings she’s harboring for Kiara, a girl she fake hates.
Kiara always seems to capture the hearts of the people Nova’s crushing on before Nova can express her feelings. While this should make her hate Kiara, it actually makes her like Kiara more.
So when Nova accidentally lays a hex on Kiara at the Fall Festival, it’ll be up to a cadre of Kiara’s exes to try to find her. Nova’s necessary in the finding endeavor, too, which will take the entire search crew into the mysterious forest . . . and not only will this stir up feelings Nova has for Kiara, but reignite her desire to find her missing father, too.
Portrait of a Shadow by Meriam Metoui
Mae’s older sister Inez is missing. It seems like everyone from the police investigators to her parents have given up, resolved to never get closure. But Mae won’t.
In Inez’s art studio, there’s a painting that haunts Mae. That Mae is convinced is related to her sister’s disappearance. Now with the help of a boy claiming to be Inez’s neighbor, Mae is going to get answers. But now the pair have not only begun a quest to find Inez. They may be unlocking a centuries-old mystery, too.
More New Paperback YA Releases:
- Love Unmasked by Becky Dean