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2020 New YA Releases Because You Need More Books!! [Ft. August – November Books]

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It’s new YA book release update time!

Sometimes I think about why I spend hours writing these types of posts, and I come to the conclusion that it’s split between (a) I love writing lists of books and admiring the covers and pretending I could read them all, and (b) if I don’t do this I have no clue what’s coming out and I’ll live out life oblivious and confused 😌👌🏻 So I write new release list posts! You are welcome!

I’ll be listing books I’m excited for that are releasing from August, September, October, and November, 2020 😍and then I’ll likely be petting my laptop screen and angstily wishing I could read them NOW. Because I obviously have nothing else to read.

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➢ 2020 New YA Releases January, March, April
➢ 2020 New YA Releases May, June, July
➢ Why It’s Perfectly Acceptable To Have An Enormous TBR Pile

Also hello I am debuting my new macaron border 😌😙 it is so beautiful

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed | Goodreads

I have not heard much about this one apart from it being very very good!! And also hard hitting. It’s set against the backdrop of the 1992 Rodney King Riots so I am super intrigued for this one 👀

Los Angeles, 1992
Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of senior year and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer.
Everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the black kids.
As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson.
With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them? 
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Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko | Goodreads

I am on the cusp of finishing an early copy of an audiobook and afjdklsad I LOVE THIS ONE. It has all the feels of an adult epic fantasy (such deep, gorgeous world building) and plenty of sharp characters and clever plot twists. 😙 This is what I want when I ask for a good fantasy!

Nothing is more important than loyalty.
But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?
Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.  
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Prelude for Lost Souls by Helene Dunbar | Goodreads

I always love al of Helene’s books so I am just EXCITED for this 😍 Plus it has music which is something I crave in books and it’s a bit of fantasy woven with queerness. Waiting anxiously for my preorder tbh.

Seventeen-year-old Dec Hampton knows there are no coincidences in St. Hilaire, New York, the spiritualist community he’s longing to leave. So when the train of Annie Krylova, the piano prodigy he’s captivated by, breaks down outside of town, he’s forced to take her sudden entry into his life seriously… just like the unexpected reappearance of Tristan, the childhood friend he’d assumed – and hoped – was imaginary.
Despite everything Dec has learned about Annie on the internet, he’s unaware that she has her own figurative ghosts to deal with. She has a family she supports but rarely sees, and a recently deceased teacher whose final communication charged her with a seemingly impossible task: find the rest of The Unfinished Prelude, the mysterious piece of music that catapulted her to stardom.
Dec and his best friend Russ, a talented, but complicated medium, offer Annie their help. But when Annie’s quest for the remainder of The Prelude becomes an obsession and it’s clear that Tristan is involved, Dec finds himself increasingly at odds with his plan to leave St. Hilaire. Even worse is the growing tension with Russ who, in trying to help Dec and Annie, begins to embrace dark and potentially life-threatening forces, including an enigmatic and manipulative ghost. 
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They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman | Goodreads

When something is pitched as “One of Us Is Lying with a dash of The Secret History” and “a slick, taut murder mystery” I am just HERE for it. My dark academia soul has needs.

In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems.
Freshman year Jill’s best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on.
Now, it’s Jill’s senior year and she’s determined to make it her best yet. After all, she’s a senior and a Player–a member of Gold Coast Prep’s exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill’s year. She’s sure of it.
But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham’s innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn’t kill Shaila, who did? Jill vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.  
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Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar | Goodreads

I am just instantly caught by the pitch of “blends Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy” 😩✨💛 I have needed this all my life. Plus it’s #ownvoices!

The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.
Sheetal’s quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens–and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.
Brimming with celestial intrigue, this sparkling YA debut is perfect for fans of Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor.  
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The Memory of Souls (#3) by Jenn Lyons | Goodreads

I honestly am DYING for this book!! It’s one of my most anticipated of the year after I fell in love with book 1 (The Ruin of Kings) and developed a deep and loving obsession 🥰This is adult fantasy too, by the way! It’s going to be everything I need and I am going to softly scream my way through 600 pages.

What if you’re the one who has to die?
Now that the city of Atrine has been destroyed and Relos Var’s plan to free the dark god Vol Karoth has been revealed—the end of the world is closer than ever.
To buy time for humanity, Kihrin, Janel, and Thurvishar must convince the king of the Manol vané to perform an ancient ritual that will strip the vané of their immortality—a ritual that certain vané will do anything to prevent. Including assassinating the ones bringing the news.
Worse, Kihrin must come to terms with the horrifying possibility that his connection to Vol Karoth is steadily growing in strength. How can Kihrin hope to save anyone when he might turn out to be the greatest threat of them all? 
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Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger | Goodreads

I actually have read very very little Indigenous American books, so I really want to read this one! It sounds beautiful and magical and I love the alternate reality bend to it?! Plus — murder mystery. PLUS it has illustrations!!

Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.
There are some differences. This America been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.
Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.  
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Vicious Spirits (#2) by Kat Cho | Goodreads

This is the sequel to Wicked Fox which I adored last year and am just so excited for more!! The first book was so angsty but also fun but also full of banter 🥰basically my perfect paranormal.  This is a companion novel though, so same world but different main characters.

As Vicious Spirits begins, Miyoung and Jihoon are picking up the pieces of their broken lives following the deaths of Miyoung’s mother, Yena, and Jihoon’s grandmother. With the support of their friend Somin, and their frenemy, Junu, they might just have a shot at normalcy. But Miyoung is getting sicker and sicker by the day and her friends don’t know how to save her. With few options remaining, Junu has an idea but it might require the ultimate sacrifice and, let’s be honest, Junu isn’t known for his “generosity.” Meanwhile, the events at the end of Wicked Fox have upended the forces that govern life and death and there are supernatural entities lurking in the background that will stop at nothing to right their world.  
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Darius the Great Deserves Better (#2) by Adib Khorram | Goodreads

Another sequel!! Darius The Great Is Not Okay was a total favourite last year too, with Darius and his family travelling to Iran to meet family properly, and Darius figuring out friendship, diaspora and his depression 🥺I really loved the rep too! And I think this one will explore more of his queer journey.

Darius Kellner is having a bit of a year. Since his trip to Iran this past spring, a lot has changed. He’s getting along with his dad, and his best friend Sohrab is only a Skype call away. Between his first boyfriend, Landon, his varsity soccer practices, and his internship at his favorite tea shop, Darius is feeling pretty okay. Like he finally knows what it means to be Darius Kellner.
Then, of course, everything changes. Darius’s grandmothers are in town for a long visit while his dad is gone on business, and Darius isn’t sure whether they even like him. The internship isn’t what Darius thought it would be, and now he doesn’t know about turning tea into his career. He was sure he liked Landon, but when he starts hanging out with Chip–soccer teammate and best friend of Trent Bolger, epic bully–well, he’s just not so sure about Landon anymore, either.
Darius thought he knew exactly who he was and what he wanted, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe he deserves better.
In this companion to the award-winning Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Darius suddenly has it all: a boyfriend, an internship, a spot on the soccer team. It’s everything he’s ever wanted–but what if he deserves better? 
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Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles | Goodreads

I’ve heard that this is a Phantom fo the Opera Retelling and that’s all I need to know to want it!! Plus it’s giving me distinct Caraval vibes 🥰 I also haven’t read enough Filipino authors so I am excited for this.

In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.
As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.
The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost
The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told
The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide
Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed. 
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Honourable mentions…

Dear Justyce (#2) by Nic Stone | Goodreads

A long awaited sequel to Dear Martin!! It’s talking about discrimination and the American justice and prison system, also told in letters again.

Shortly after teenager Quan enters a not guilty plea for the shooting death of a police officer, he is placed in a holding cell to await trial. Through a series of flashbacks and letters to Justyce, the protagonist of Dear Martin, Quan’s story unravels.
From a troubled childhood and bad timing to a coerced confession and prejudiced police work, Nic Stone’s newest novel takes an unflinching look at the flawed practices and ideologies that discriminate against African American boys and minorities in the American justice system.
In the stunning and hard-hitting sequel to the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin, incarcerated teen Quan writes letters to Justyce about his experiences in the American prison system.  
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Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson | Goodreads

Basically if Tiffany D. Jackson writes it — I want it. Immediately. I rate all her books 5-stars and they throw me off a cliff every time?! She is such an excellent writer and her concepts are!! incredible!! I cannot stop fangirling!

Korey Fields is dead.
When Enchanted Jones wakes with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night, no one—the police and Korey’s fans included—has more questions than she does. All she really knows is that this isn’t how things are supposed to be. Korey was Enchanted’s ticket to stardom.
Before there was a dead body, Enchanted was an aspiring singer, struggling with her tight knit family’s recent move to the suburbs while trying to find her place as the lone Black girl in high school. But then legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots her at an audition. And suddenly her dream of being a professional singer takes flight.
Enchanted is dazzled by Korey’s luxurious life but soon her dream turns into a nightmare. Behind Korey’s charm and star power hides a dark side, one that wants to control her every move, with rage and consequences. Except now he’s dead and the police are at the door. Who killed Korey Fields?
All signs point to Enchanted. 
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These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever | Goodreads

My weakness for Dark Academia knows no end alright 😩👌🏻this one promises to be super dark (it’s also adult) and it’s pitched as a queer and obsessive The Secret History — so basically yes and I need it.

When Paul and Julian meet as university freshmen in early 1970s Pittsburgh, they are immediately drawn to one another. A talented artist, Paul is sensitive and agonizingly insecure, incomprehensible to his working-class family, and desolate with grief over his father’s recent death.
Paul sees the wealthy, effortlessly charming Julian as his sole intellectual equal—an ally against the conventional world he finds so suffocating. He idolizes his friend for his magnetic confidence. But as charismatic as he can choose to be, Julian is also volatile and capriciously cruel. And admiration isn’t the same as trust.
As their friendship spirals into an all-consuming intimacy, Paul is desperate to protect their precarious bond, even as it becomes clear that pressures from the outside world are nothing compared with the brutality they are capable of inflicting on one another. Separation is out of the question. But as their orbit compresses and their grip on one another tightens, they are drawn to an act of irrevocable violence that will force the young men to confront a shattering truth at the core of their relationship.
Exquisitely plotted, unfolding with a propulsive ferocity, These Violent Delights is a novel of escalating dread and an excavation of the unsettling depths of human desire.  
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A Deadly Education by Namoi Novik | Goodreads

SEE!! DARK ACADEMIA. I honestly am deprived and need so so much more. This one is more of a magic school where you have to fight to survive, let alone graduate. And tbh I am here for that kind of stress.

Lesson One of the Scholomance
Learning has never been this deadly
A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.  
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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas | Goodreads

I have this preordered and have been excited for ages!! Latinx trans #ownvoices rep with GHOSTS (I tell you I really love ghosts) and it just sounds both fun and heart twisting and good 🥺✨I cannot spell CEMETERY ever though.

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.
However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.  
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Fable by Adrienne Young | Goodreads

I know I’m behind, but I’ve not read any of this author yet and I was luckily given an eARC of this so I am EXCITED. The cover is also super stunning 😍and I just love the title! It captivated me.

As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn’t who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they’re going to stay alive.
Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men. 
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None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney | Goodreads

I’m particularly excited for this because it’s an Australian author who’s made it to the US!!!! And her previous thrillers were all phenomenal. (Particularly the genderbent Sherlock trilogy 😙). I also suddenly love thrillers?! This cover is not Great though. 😂

In 1982, two teenagers—serial killer survivor Emma Lewis and US Marshal candidate Travis Bell—are recruited by the FBI to interview convicted juvenile killers and provide insight and advice on cold cases. From the start, Emma and Travis develop a quick friendship, gaining information from juvenile murderers that even the FBI can’t crack. But when the team is called in to give advice on an active case—a serial killer who exclusively hunts teenagers—things begin to unravel. Working against the clock, they must turn to one of the country’s most notorious incarcerated murderers for help: teenage sociopath Simon Gutmunsson.
Despite Travis’s objections, Emma becomes the conduit between Simon and the FBI team. But while Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he’s an expert manipulator playing a very long game…and he has his sights set on Emma. 
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Lazarus by Maryanne Melloan Woods | Goodreads

I just kind of need this book after the pitch of “Margo and Hank have a profoundly deep relationship; the only hitch is that Hank has been dead for two months.” I neeeed more ghost stories! Plus it’s a murder mystery?! They are a team of detectives!

Margo and Hank are two teens in tiny, god-forsaken Lazarus, Nebraska. They have a profoundly deep relationship; the only hitch is that Hank has been dead for two months. Somehow he has remained in limbo— no doubt due to the sheer force of their love, and unfinished work to be done.
When the pair get tangled up investigating the latest local murder— with Margo doing the everyday detective work and the late Hank spying on suspects unseen—they discover nothing and no one in Lazarus are as they seem. The investigation becomes more dangerous, and it’s up to Hank to protect Margo—as much as a ghost-bodyguard-boyfriend can. While clinging to each other, the teens uncover the sinister secrets of the people they’ve known all their lives, reopen the cold case of Margo’s mother’s death, and learn how to face their past—and how to move on.  
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Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam | Goodreads

I’ve read two books by Ibi Zoboi and loved them so really keen for her next work! Plus #BlackLivesMatter books are always incredibly needed, and this one looks like it’s going to take a good look racial profiling. Also told in verse!

Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white.
Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it?
With spellbinding lyricism, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both. 
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The Lost Book Of The White (#2) by Cassandra Clare | Goodreads

You know my undying love for Shadowhunters!! Although I confess Chain of Gold wasn’t so much for me this year but I LOVED the Red Scrolls of Magic so I cannot wait for the sequel. Softly dying that they changed the covers though so this won’t match mine. 💀

Life is good for Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. They’re living together in a fabulous loft, their warlock son, Max, has started learning to walk, and the streets of New York are peaceful and quiet—as peaceful and quiet as they ever are, anyway.
Until the night that two old acquaintances break into Magnus’s apartment and steal the powerful Book of the White. Now Magnus and Alec will have to drop everything to get it back. They need to follow the thieves to Shanghai, they need to call some backup to accompany them, and they need a babysitter.
Also, someone has stabbed Magnus with a strange magical weapon and the wound is glowing, so they have that to worry about too.
Fortunately, their backup consists of Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and newly minted Shadowhunter Simon. In Shanghai, they learn that a much darker threat awaits them. Magnus’s magic is growing unstable, and if they can’t stop the demons flooding into the city, they might have to follow them all the way back to the source—to the very realm of the dead. Can they stop the threat to the world? Will they make it back home before their kid completely wears out Alec’s mom? 
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Honourable mentions…

We Were Restless things by Cole Nagamatsu | Goodreads

I’ve seen this pitched as for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and that, plus this cover, is all you need to sell me thank you.

Last summer, Link Miller drowned on dry land in the woods, miles away from the nearest body of water. His death was ruled a strange accident, and in the months since, his friends and family have struggled to make sense of it. But Link’s close friend Noemi Amato knows the truth: Link drowned in an impossible lake that only she can find. And what’s more, someone claiming to be Link has been contacting her, warning Noemi to stay out of the forest.

As these secrets become too heavy for Noemi to shoulder on her own, she turns to Jonas, her new housemate, and Amberlyn, Link’s younger sister. All three are trying to find their place—and together, they start to unravel the truth: about themselves, about the world, and about what happened to Link.

Unfolding over a year and told through multiple POVs and a dream journal, We Were Restless Things explores the ways society shapes our reality, how we can learn to love ourselves and others, and the incredible power of our own desires.

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Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco | Goodreads

I am half here for the cover, but also!! I did like Stalking Jack the Ripper (guiltily, I haven’t read the rest of the series yet) and I think historical fantasy with murder mystery aspects are fantastic.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.
Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…
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This Is All Your Fault by Aminah Mae Safi | Goodreads

If it’s gay and about saving an indie bookstore, then obviously it is the kind of quality content I look for in my life. It’s also set over the course of ONE day, so those kind of books are pretty compelling and fast!

Set over the course of one day, this smart and voice-driven YA novel follows three young women determined to save their indie bookstore.
Rinn Olivera is finally going to tell her longtime crush AJ that she’s in love with him.
Daniella Korres writes poetry for her own account, but nobody knows it’s her.
Imogen Azar is just trying to make it through the day.
When Rinn, Daniella, and Imogen clock into work at Wild Nights Bookstore on the first day of summer, they’re expecting the hours to drift by the way they always do. Instead, they have to deal with the news that the bookstore is closing. Before the day is out, there’ll be shaved heads, a diva author, and a very large shipment of Air Jordans to contend with.
And it will take all three of them working together if they have any chance to save Wild Nights Bookstore.
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Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston | Goodreads

Fairy tales with monsters and dark woods?! I love this premise 😭I always have, so this one is an immediate must-read for me. I also love that this author writes in so many genres! A talent.

Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya.
Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything. The most danger she faces now, as a gardener’s daughter, is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone.
As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions the small fox from the garden, a strange and powerful bear, and the magic in her veins. It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home. But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, it’s going to take everything she has just to survive.
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Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald | Goodreads

This is pitched as “a queer YA perfect for fans of Wicked Saints” so call me INTRIGUED. I also won’t lie. I am here for this cover.

Emanuela Ragno always gets what she wants. With her daring mind and socialite schemes, she refuses to be the demure young lady everyone wants her to be. In her most ambitious move yet, she’s about to marry Alessandro Morandi, her childhood best friend and the heir to the wealthiest house in Occhia. Emanuela doesn’t care that she and her groom are both gay, because she doesn’t want a love match. She wants power, and through Ale, she’ll have it all.
But Emanuela has a secret that could shatter her plans. In the city of Occhia, the only source of water is the watercrea, a mysterious being who uses magic to make water from blood. When their first bruise-like omen appears on their skin, all Occhians must surrender themselves to the watercrea to be drained of life. Everyone throughout history has given themselves up for the greater good. Everyone except Emanuela. She’s kept the tiny omen on her hip out of sight for years.
When the watercrea exposes Emanuela during her wedding ceremony and takes her to be sacrificed, Emanuela fights back…and kills her. Now Occhia has no one to make their water and no idea how to get more. In a race against time, Emanuela and Ale must travel through the mysterious, blood-red veil that surrounds their city to uncover the secrets of the watercrea’s magic and find a way to save their people-no matter what it takes.
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Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz | Goodreads

An #ownvoices Puerto Rican fantasy with DRAGONS!! That’s all we ever really needed okay 😭💛 I really miss dragons in books (they are not cliches, they are perfect 🤨🙌🏻) so hanging out for this.

Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance, and when Puerto Rico’s Runner—the only player without a dragon steed—is kicked off the team, she’s given the chance.
But when she discovers that a former Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with the Sire—a legendary dragon who’s cursed into human form—the safety of the Cup is jeopardized. The pair are burning down dragon sanctuaries around the world and refuse to stop unless the Cup gets cancelled. All Lana wanted was to represent her country. Now, to do that, she’ll have to navigate an international conspiracy that’s deadlier than her beloved sport.
Experience the World Cup with dragons in this debut fantasy, set in an alternate contemporary world, in which riders and their steeds compete in an international sports tournament.
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The Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey | Goodreads

Basically food 🥺💛I really want more foodie YA and this is here for it. Plus I think it’ll have an enemies-to-lovers sort of romance and it’s #ownvoices for Cuban rep!

Teenage master of Cuban cuisine, Lila Reyes, is eager to inherit her family’s Miami bakery along with her sister, Pilar. But between spring and graduation, Lila’s abuela dies, her best friend abandons her, and her long-time boyfriend dumps her. Fearing Lila’s emotional health, her parents defy her wishes and entrust her summer to family and their Winchester, England inn. Even though she’s given a space to cook at the inn, she longs for Miami, the seat of her Cuban roots. Being a Miami Cuban baker is her glorified past and destined future, forged by years of training by her loving abuela.
Days into her stay, Orion Maxwell barges into Lila’s inn kitchen with a delivery from his family’s tea shop. A nuisance at first, opposite ingredients soon learn to blend. Orion befriends Lila, introducing her to his mates and devouring her food––comida Cubana.
Orion entertains her with his mental collection of superstitions and sweeps her onto his vintage motorbike. He wraps cold, underdressed Lila in his wool cardigan and becomes her personal tour guide. His mum’s early-onset (FTD) Dementia gives Orion a unique outlook––he never asks too much of the world, accepting what he can’t control. Lila soon discovers this British boy brings empathy to her loss because he’s living his own.
Before long, Lila can’t control the route of her own heart as she begins to fall for more than a new love. England has charmed her. And a special opportunity in London tempts her. As her return ticket looms, Lila feels impossibly caught between two flags. Hearts aren’t supposed to split like this––between a beautiful boy and a beautiful family. Between exploring an uncharted future in a rich new place, and honoring Abuela’s treasured legacy.
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I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan | Goodreads

More thrillers 👀I am developing a love for them. Also I really adored this author’s last book (Keep This To Yourself) so I’m just expecting more of that quality and thrill!

In her small town, seventeen year-old Delia “Dee” Skinner is known as the girl who wasn’t taken. Ten years ago, she witnessed the abduction of her best friend, Sibby. And though she told the police everything she remembered, it wasn’t enough. Sibby was never seen again.At night, Dee deals with her guilt by becoming someone else: the Seeker, the voice behind the popular true crime podcast Radio Silent, which features missing persons cases and works with online sleuths to solve them. Nobody knows Dee’s the Seeker, and she plans to keep it that way.When another little girl goes missing, and the case is linked to Sibby’s disappearance, Dee has a chance to get answers, with the help of her virtual detectives and the intriguing new girl at school. But how much is she willing to reveal about herself in order to uncover the truth? Dee’s about to find out what’s really at stake in unraveling the mystery of the little girls who vanished.
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Honourable mentions…

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong | Goodreads

It’s pitched as “an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths” and omgggg do I need it. Plus I’ve seen people raving about it already…and I might have preordered. 😌#ownvoices Chinese rep!

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
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Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Cho | Goodreads

Hires a fake!! Boyfriend!! I do think this one will be fun, plus it’s #ownvoices and I really liked the author’s previous book!

Chloe Wang is nervous to introduce her parents to her boyfriend, because the truth is, she hasn’t met him yet either. She hired him from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents.
Drew Chan’s passion is art, but after his parents cut him off for dropping out of college to pursue his dreams, he became a Rent for Your ’Rents employee to keep a roof over his head. Luckily, learning protocols like “Type C parents prefer quiet, kind, zero-PDA gestures” comes naturally to him.
When Chloe rents Drew, the mission is simple: convince her parents fake Drew is worthy of their approval so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from Hongbo, the wealthiest (and slimiest) young bachelor in their tight-knit Asian American community.
But when Chloe starts to fall for the real Drew—who, unlike his fake persona, is definitely not ’rent-worthy—her carefully curated life begins to unravel. Can she figure out what she wants before she loses everything?
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets The Farewell in this incisive romantic comedy about a college student who hires a fake boyfriend to appease her traditional Taiwanese parents, to disastrous results, from the acclaimed author of American Panda. 
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How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (#3.5) by Holly Black | Goodreads

OKAY BUT IT’S MORE CARDAN BOOKS AND I CAN’T STOP BEING SO SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye 😭💛and here we get MORE. Also it’s ILLUSTRATED.

An illustrated addition to the New York Times bestselling Folk of Air trilogy, that started with The Cruel Prince, from award-winning author Holly Black.
An irresistible return to the captivating world of Elfhame.
Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.
Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone . #1 New York Times bestselling author, Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame’s enigmatic high king, Cardan. This tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan’s perspective.
This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector’s item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old. 
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Ruinsong by Julia Ember | Goodreads

This is a queer phantom of the opera retelling?! I cannot express how much I need this right now. I’ve only read one novella by this author, so I’d love to read more!

Her voice was her prison…
Now it’s her weapon.
In a world where magic is sung, a powerful mage named Cadence has been forced to torture her country’s disgraced nobility at her ruthless queen’s bidding.
But when she is reunited with her childhood friend, a noblewoman with ties to the underground rebellion, she must finally make a choice: Take a stand to free their country from oppression, or follow in the queen’s footsteps and become a monster herself. 
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The Cousins by Karen M. McManus | Goodreads

I’m absolutely obsessed by her last two books so this is just INSTA NEED. I suppose I should look at the blurb briefly but like 😌👌🏻I love that feeling when you have an author you just will read on their name alone.

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised . . . and curious.
Their parents are all clear on one point–not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother’s good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it’s immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious–and dark–their family’s past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over–and this summer, the cousins will learn everything. 
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Master Of One by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett | Goodreads

This has A HEIST!! I repeat A HEIST!! And the pitch is “Sinister sorcery. Gallows humor. A queer romance so glorious it could be right out of fae legend itself” so hello I have been sold so completely.

Rags is a thief—an excellent one. He’s stolen into noble’s coffers, picked soldier’s pockets, and even liberated a ring or two off the fingers of passersby. Until he’s caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer.
But Rags could never have guessed this “relic” would actually be a fae himself—a distractingly handsome, annoyingly perfect, ancient fae prince called Shining Talon. Good thing Rags can think on his toes, because things just get stranger from there…
With the heist and intrigue of Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of The Cruel Prince, this young adult fantasy debut will have readers rooting for a pair of reluctant heroes as they take on a world-ending fae prophecy, a malicious royal plot, and, most dangerously of all, their feelings for each other.  
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A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguicha | Goodreads

This is a Portuguese historical fantasy so consider me thoroughly intrigued. And it seems it’ll have a lot of flower content which is my aesthetic!

With just one touch, bread turns into roses. With just one bite, cheese turns into lilies.
There’s a famine plaguing the land, and Princess Yzabel is wasting food simply by trying to eat. Before she can even swallow, her magic—her curse—has turned her meal into a bouquet. She’s on the verge of starving, which only reminds her that the people of Portugal have been enduring the same pain.
If only it were possible to reverse her magic. Then she could turn flowers…into food.
Fatyan, a beautiful Enchanted Moura, is the only one who can help. But she is trapped by magical binds. She can teach Yzabel how to control her curse—if Yzabel sets her free with a kiss.
As the King of Portugal’s betrothed, Yzabel would be committing treason, but what good is a king if his country has starved to death?
With just one kiss, Fatyan is set free. And with just one kiss, Yzabel is yearning for more.
She’d sought out Fatyan to help her save the people. Now, loving her could mean Yzabel’s destruction.
Based on Portuguese legend, this #OwnVoices historical fantasy is an epic tale of mystery, magic, and making the impossible choice between love and duty… 
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tell me which ones you’re most excited for!

 

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Comments

  2. Oooh I added so many books to my (pre-order) wishlist!! Some were already on there. There are so many exciting books coming out, and I love seeing so many books by written by authors of colour getting more attention. I’m most excited for a lot of the YA contemporaries, I did add the occasional YA fantasy book to my wishlist though (for fantasy I prefer adult fantasy and MG fantasy).

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  4. RIP my bank account wow so many great books I added to my tbr!!! Hope you love all of these when they release! ❤️

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  8. Gosh you are just WRONG I do not need more books! Yet here I am, with a dozen Goodreads tabs open, sobs. I mean, to be fair, most of these were already on my list, but you somehow found some that weren’t and now they will be. Because what even is self-control? I have read a few, let’s see. Fable, Lobinza, Seven Devils, and Star Daughter all get thumbs up! Set Fire to the Gods… less so. But I have SO many of these coming up (*someone* may have gone overboard with requesting September books, whoopsie) so hopefully we both enjoy them!

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  10. this is such a comprehensive list, and i had so much fun clicking the “show full blurbs” for some reason :”) i had the privilege of reading an early copy of these violent delights. sadly, i didn’t love it, but many other people do, and i’m confident that you won’t be disappointed! i’m not really anticipating anything else in the second half of the year except the invisible life of addie larue—v.e. schwab is one of my favorite authors and i’ve heard early reviewers refer to addie as a masterpiece ✨

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  12. These posts truly are the bain of us book blogger’s existence lmao. Love to write them but do we ever actually read the books? Debatable.

    Anyways, Raybearer DOES sound amazing eeeppp. And I AM SO EXCITED about Stardaughter and Cemetery Boys ermygosh. NEED them. Also, had never heard of We Were Restless Things but hello NOW I NEED IT. And I mean OF COURSE CARDAN CARDAN CARDAN. And Addie La Rue.

    My existing TBR hates me REALLY. But loved this whole list Cait. You a STAR

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  14. “An #ownvoices Puerto Rican fantasy with DRAGONS!!” OKAY SOLD! Added a bunch of books to my Goodreads, but mostly excited about Blazewrath Games because holy hell that sounds delightful. Thank you for this list because I, too, would be oblivious about a lot of these without it!

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  17. CAIT THERE ARE SO MANY BOOKS I want to cry 😭😭 I just don’t even know what to do anymore I want to read so many of them aaaaaaaaaaah 😭 I think I’m the most excited ever for Darius, I loved the first book so, so much and am just so happy to get more page time with himm!! I’m also very intrigued by A Curse of Roses, A Deadly Education and They Wish They Were Us, they all sound so good!! 😀
    Thank you for this amazing list! <3

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  18. Wow I had no idea about all these books coming out. Thank you for putting together such a great list and dishing your thoughts with us! Yes, the macarons look amazing 😄 Hm…apparently I did not read that wrong, there really are two new YA releases called THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS 😂 Ooh ELATSOE sounds really good :

    Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.

    SOLD!

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  19. ALL. THE. BOOK! Gosh, this post must have taken years! YEARS! I’ve just opened around a dozen tabs to add some of these beauties to my TBR. I’m completely pants with keeping up with new releases and can’t thank you enough for how much hard work this must have taken. I was lucky to have been sent a copy of None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney and may have peed a little. Much excite!

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  20. SO MUCH BEAUTY AND EXCELLENCE IN ONE POST 😭😭😭 i have read cemetery boys, where dreams descend, TVD and addie larue and all of them were really amazing! im particularly excited for blazewrath games because DRAGONS. what else can i say???

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