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.
Clear your calendars and grab your TBR list. It’s time to cozy up with one—or several—of this week’s new YA book releases. If you have to do that thing where you give over your time in exchange for a paycheck, then at least make sure you jot down the titles that catch your eye. It’s a slower release week compared to the last several, but that means you’ve got a little more time to catch up with this very pushed fall publishing season.
Please note that this week’s releases, because of its shorter roster of offerings, do not represent the diversity of YA books. They are heavier on white authors than usual.
A small programming note: I’m out of the office for a few weeks and drafting these ahead of time. This means two things. First, some publication dates may have shifted a week early or late and that won’t be noted. Second, in your Thursday newsletters where you’re used to having a news roundup, those will be on hold for a bit. I’ll do a big roundup on my return and then continue as normal as appropriate.
New YA Hardcover Books
Eleven Houses by Colleen Oakes
Weymouth is a haunted island off Nova Scotia, wherein 11 houses shelter 11 families. Mabel is among the last of House Beuvry, and she spends her time readying the house for the once a decade storm that hammers the island. It’s not just a storm in the sense of wind and rain; it’s a storm that opens the portal between the living and dead, too.
Miles Cabot is new to the island and quickly realizes it’s no normal place. He also meets and realizes that Mable is no ordinary girl. But the two of them have an immediate spark. That spark isn’t just about their romantic feelings. It’s possible their connection could be deadly.
So when an island elder dies suspiciously, Mable’s life is tossed upside down again. As if preparing for the storm and navigating feelings with Miles weren’t enough, Mable’s also got tension mounting with her sister. She’ll need to get her living world in order or else it’ll be a whole other catastrophe when the island’s veil becomes permeable.
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A Vile Season by David Ferraro
A pitch like Bridgerton meets The Bachelor is pretty compelling.
Count Lucian was run out of his castle by vampire hunters and, while escaping, he runs into Vrykolakas, god of the vampires. Vrykolakas decides to see how loyal Lucian is to his vampire brethren: Lucian is to infiltrate the duke’s marriage games and pretend to be an interested suitor, in order to uncover the vampire hunters assumed to be around. To do this, Vrykolakas removes Lucian’s immortality and now, Lucian gets to be a human for the first time in hundreds and hundreds of years. If Lucian succeeds, he’ll be given supreme vampire status. If he fails, well, he’ll experience eternal torture. No biggie.
The problem is the part about being human. Lucian begins to experience feelings and complications when it comes to human relationships—both romantic and platonic. Now he’s in an impossible decision of whose loyalty he most desires. Does he fulfill the test for Vrykolakas or does he abandon it in order to sustain new love and friendship as a human?
Also out this week are two series sequels/conclusions—click the titles for descriptions, as writing them out might inadvertently lead to spoilers for the first titles. The first is Cinda Williams Chima’s sequel to The Runestone Saga: Children of Ragnarok, titled The Runestone Saga: Bane of Asgard. Then there’s the sequel to Kylie Lee Baker’s The Scarlet Alchemist, titled The Blood Orchid.
New YA Paperback Releases
As always, you may need to toggle your view after clicking the link to see the paperback editions of the following titles.
The Blood Years by Elana K. Arnold
Frederieke Teitler and her older sister Astra live in Czernowitz, Romania, deemed among the safest for Jewish people amid increasing hostilities in Europe. They live with their grandfather after their father abandoned them, and their mother found herself unstable and unable to provide the care they needed. But now, with escalating tensions around them and Astra’s increasing distance from Rieke, Rieke wonders what in her world she can depend on.
When war breaks out, the girls find themselves clinging to one another even tighter. They are watching the world around them and worrying about how they’ll stay safe, protect their grandfather’s business, and more. Now Rieke and her sister may have no choice or say at all in their future—and that’s the scariest thing of all.
Rez Ball by Byron Graves
Tre Brun is a great basketball player with dreams of making it to the NBA. He’s happy now playing for his Red Lake Reservation team, even as he struggles with the feelings he has surrounding the death of his brother Jaxon.
When Tre is invited to the varsity team and Jaxon’s friends offer to be guides in his transition, the pressure is on. He’s got to be on his game and work hard to bring his team to the state. But can he focus enough to do so? Can he live up to what his brother would want for him?
If you want a Native sports story, look no further than this engaging story of an Ojibwe teen and community.
Running Past Dark by Han Nolan
This is a twisty mystery that will resonate with readers who loved Deb Caletti’s A Heart in a Body in the World.
Scottie O’Doul’s about to start her senior year, and she’s doing it alone. Her twin sister Caitlin died in a car accident with her basketball coach last May. Caitlin revealed to Scottie a secret about her coach before she died, and when Scottie shared that, the entire community turned against her. People think Caitlin deliberately crashed the car to take her own life.
Scottie refuses to believe that, and while she fights tooth and nail to prove her sister’s innocence, she takes up running. It’s through running and the ability to process her sister’s life and experiences that Scottie begins to question what is and is not true about the accident. When she reconnects with an ex-boyfriend who had an accident the same day as her sister, Scottie realizes there is a key to uncovering the mystery of what truly happened to Caitlin.
Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
Zarela Zalvidar is 18, a talented flamenco dancer, and daughter of one of the most famous Dragonadors in Hispalia. One day, she’ll be out there fighting in her father’s legacy, garnering praise and attention from people all over the country.
But she didn’t expect that her father’s career would be up in flames so quick. A terrible disaster befalls a celebration and now Zarela’s inheritance is being held hostage by the Dragon Guild. She’ll need to become a Dragonador herself to get it back. But Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, one of the remaining talents in dragon hunting, won’t help her train and find her power.
Arturo doesn’t know that Zarela won’t take no for an answer.
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