books

2021 New Young Adult Releases For Your Towering TBR Pile!! [Ft May to August]

13th May 2021 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 7 Comments

It’s that time again, when I do not help your TBR piles!!

In fact! I am the opposite of help and probably will make you add 394092 new books to your pile 😪 I’d say sorry but I’m not. What I WILL say is that I need to fall down a goldmine and accidentally inherit it all to be able to afford these. (Why have book prices in Australia exploded so steeply 😭 it hurts.)

So below I’ve picked out a ton of new Young Adult book releases coming out in May, June, July and August, 2021! All are linked to Goodreads so enjoy 🤗 You can also catch my first releases post from early this year (the January to April edition).

Note: I have included a few adult titles in here, just because they caught my eye and I am here to break the rules of my own post.

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

The House of Always (#4) by Jenn Lyons | Goodreads

This is one of my top anticipated books of the YEAR okay 😂🙌🏻 I am so hyped! Chorus of Dragons is my new favourite series and this is book 4. I will never stop recommending it!!

What if you were imprisoned for all eternity?
In the aftermath of the Ritual of Night, everything has changed.
The Eight Immortals have catastrophically failed to stop Kihrin’s enemies, who are moving forward with their plans to free Vol Karoth, the King of Demons. Kihrin has his own ideas about how to fight back, but even if he’s willing to sacrifice everything for victory, the cost may prove too high for his allies.
Now they face a choice: can they save the world while saving Kihrin, too? Or will they be forced to watch as he becomes the very evil they have all sworn to destroy.

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Off The Record by Cameron Garrett | Goodreads

I really loved the author’s debut and this sounds so fascinating too! A teen journalist, the #MeToo movement, and a story that’s dangerous to unravel.

The behind-the-scenes access of Almost Famous meets the searing revelations of #metoo in this story of a teen journalist who uncovers the scandal of the decade.
Ever since seventeen-year-old Josie Wright can remember, writing has been her identity, the thing that grounds her when everything else is a garbage fire. So when she wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she’s equal parts excited and scared, but also ready. She’s got this.
Soon Josie is jetting off on a multi-city tour, rubbing elbows with sparkly celebrities, frenetic handlers, stone-faced producers, and eccentric stylists. She even finds herself catching feelings for the subject of her profile, dazzling young newcomer Marius Canet. Josie’s world is expanding so rapidly, she doesn’t know whether she’s flying or falling. But when a young actress lets her in on a terrible secret, the answer is clear: she’s in over her head.
One woman’s account leads to another and another. Josie wants to expose the man responsible, but she’s reluctant to speak up, unsure if this is her story to tell. What if she lets down the women who have entrusted her with their stories? What if this ends her writing career before it even begins? There are so many reasons not to go ahead, but if Josie doesn’t step up, who will?

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Burn It All Down by Nicolas DiDomizio | Goodreads

So this just sounds thoroughly chaotic and I am intrigued. 😂 An Italian queer teen boy and his mum end up ditching their problematic respective boyfriends and go on a petty crime spree? Am in 😌

Eighteen-year-old aspiring comic Joey Rossi just found out his boyfriend has been cheating on him for the past ten months. But what did he expect? Joey was born with an addiction to toxic jerks—something he inherited from his lovably messy, wisecracking, Italian-American spitfire of a mom (and best friend): 34-year-old Gia Rossi.
When Gia’s latest non-relationship goes up in flames only a day later, the pair’s Bayonne, New Jersey apartment can barely contain their rage. In a misguided attempt at revenge, Joey and Gia inadvertently commit a series of crimes and flee the state, running to the only good man either of them has ever known—Gia’s ex, Marco. As they hide out from the law at Marco’s secluded lake house, Joey and Gia must confront all the bad habits and mistakes they’ve made that have led them to this moment—and find a way to take responsibility for what they’ve done.

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Mister Impossible (#2) by Maggie Stiefvater | Goodreads

You know am always dying for the next book about Ronan Lynch 😩🙌🏻The blurb gives absolutely NO information 😂 but I’m expecting more typical Stiefvater chaos.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Boys, a mesmerizing story of dreams and desires, death and destiny.
The stakes have never been higher as it seems like either the end of the world or the end of dreamers approaches.
Do the dreamers need the ley lines to save the world . . . or will their actions end up dooming the world? As Ronan, Hennessy, and Bryde try to make dreamers more powerful, the Moderators are closing in, sure that this power will bring about disaster. In the remarkable second book of The Dreamer Trilogy, Maggie Stiefvater pushes her characters to their limits – and shows what happens to them and others when they start to break.

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Black Water Sister by Zen Cho | Goodreads

The blurb of this one has me enthralled! Reluctant mediums, Malaysian-set fantasy, estranged grandmother ghosts!! I think this is also adult and I need it.

A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy.
Jessamyn Teoh is closeted, broke and moving back to Malaysia, a country she left when she was a toddler. So when Jess starts hearing voices, she chalks it up to stress. But there’s only one voice in her head, and it claims to be the ghost of her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma. In life Ah Ma was a spirit medium, the avatar of a mysterious deity called the Black Water Sister. Now she’s determined to settle a score against a gang boss who has offended the god–and she’s decided Jess is going to help her do it.
Drawn into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with capricious spirits is a dangerous business. As Jess fights for retribution for Ah Ma, she’ll also need to regain control of her body and destiny. If she fails, the Black Water Sister may finish her off for good.

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All Kinds of Other by James Sie | Goodreads

I only recently heard about this one and it sounds like it’ll pack a punch to the feels 🥺 Coming-of-age with trans kids and new schools. The cover is also super gorgeous.

In this tender, nuanced coming-of-age love story, two boys—one who is cis and one who is trans—have been guarding their hearts to protect themselves, until their feelings for each other give them a reason to stand up to their fears.
Two boys are starting at a new school.
Jules is just figuring out what it means to be gay and hasn’t totally decided whether he wants to be out at his new school. His parents and friends have all kinds of opinions, but for his part, Jules just wants to make the basketball team and keep his head down.
Jack is trying to start over after a best friend break-up. He followed his actor father clear across the country to LA, but he’s also totally ready to leave his past behind. Maybe this new school where no one knows him is exactly what he needs.
When the two boys meet, the sparks are undeniable. But then a video surfaces linking Jack to a pair of popular transgender vloggers, and the revelations about Jack’s past thrust both Jack and Jules into the spotlight they’ve been trying to avoid. Suddenly both boys have a choice to make—between lying low where it’s easier or following their hearts.

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In The Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland | Goodreads

When the pitch is, “A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead” yeah I know I need it 😌 Also from an ace author!

In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.
Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.
Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first.

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The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk | Goodreads

I have an ARC of this one so I’m really excited to dive in! It’s about ballet dancers and disability and also deals with racism in the dance industry.

Alina Keeler was destined to dance, but one terrifying fall shatters her leg–and her dreams of a professional ballet career along with it.
After a summer healing (translation: eating vast amounts of Cool Ranch Doritos and binging ballet videos on YouTube), she is forced to trade her pre-professional dance classes for normal high school, where she reluctantly joins the school musical. However, rehearsals offer more than she expected–namely Jude, her annoyingly attractive cast mate she just might be falling for.
But to move forward, Alina must make peace with her past and face the racism she had grown to accept in the dance industry. She wonders what it means to yearn for ballet–something so beautiful, yet so broken. And as broken as she feels, can she ever open her heart to someone else?
Touching, romantic, and peppered with humor, this debut novel explores the tenuousness of perfectionism, the possibilities of change, and the importance of raising your voice.

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Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar | Goodreads

Another one where I loved the author’s debut (The Henna Wars!) so I’m excited for their next book. 🥰Fake dating is SUCH a fun trope too. I have this one preordered 👀👌🏻

Everyone likes Humaira “Hani” Khan—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita “Ishu” Dey. Ishu is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she stands a chance of being elected head girl.
Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But relationships are complicated, and some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after.

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Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean | Goodreads

This is the “girl discovers she’s secretly a princess” like Princess Diaries! But Japanese 👀🙌🏻I am so, so intrigued. I also enjoyed the author’s epic fantasy, Empress of All Seasons, a few years ago!

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.
In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.
Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after?

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Honourable Mentions!

The Coming Storm by Regina M. Hansen | Goodreads

It had me at “music, myth, and horror” to be honest 👀👌🏻I’m a huge fan of music stories (my debut is about a pianist!!) so this was a preorder for me too 😂

There’s a certain wild magic in the salt air and the thrum of the sea. Beet MacNeill has known this all her life. It added spice to her childhood adventures with her older cousin, Gerry, the two of them thick as thieves as they explored their Prince Edward Island home. So when Gerry comes up the path one early spring morning, Beet thinks nothing of it at first. But he is soaking wet and silent, and he plays a haunting tune on his fiddle that chills Beet to the bone. Something is very, very wrong.
Things only get worse when Marina Shaw saunters into town and takes an unsettling interest in Gerry’s new baby. Local lore is filled with tales of a vicious shape-shifting sea creature and the cold, beautiful woman who controls him—a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Marina. Beet is determined to find out what happened to her beloved cousin, and to prevent the same fate from befalling the handsome new boy in town who is winning her heart, whether she wants him to or not. Yet the sea always exacts a price…
Music, myth, and horror blend in this romantic, atmospheric fantasy debut about a teen girl who must fight a powerful evil that’s invaded her Prince Edward Island home—perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens.

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The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver | Goodreads

The author’s debut (I Wish You All The Best) was one of my absolute favourites! So of course I am stoked about for their newest book 😭💛 This one seems to be dealing with grief, so ready for these tough themes.

When Liam Cooper’s older brother Ethan is killed in a hit-and-run, Liam has to not only learn to face the world without one of the people he loved the most, but also face the fading relationship with his two best friends.
Feeling more alone and isolated than ever, Liam finds themself sharing time with Marcus, Ethan’s best friend, and through Marcus, Liam finds the one person that seems to know exactly what they’re going through, for the better, and the worse.
This book is about grief. But it’s also about why we live. Why we have to keep moving on, and why we should.
Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli, this book will rip your heart out before showing you how to heal from tragedy and celebrate life in the process.

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The Marvelous by Claire Kahn | Goodreads

Okay this one sounds SO FUN! Like a diverse, queer Westing Game! It’s pitched as “six teens locked together in a mansion, contending for a life-changing cash prize in a competition run by a reclusive heiress” and I want it 😂

Everyone thinks they know Jewel Van Hanen. Heiress turned actress turned social media darling who created the massively popular video-sharing app, Golden Rule.
After mysteriously disappearing for a year, Jewel makes her dramatic return with an announcement: she has chosen a few lucky Golden Rule users to spend an unforgettable weekend at her private estate. But once they arrive, Jewel ingeniously flips the script: the guests are now players in an elaborate estate-wide game. And she’s tailored every challenge and obstacle to test whether they have what it takes to win–at any cost.
Told from the perspective of three dazzling players–Nicole: the new queen of Golden Rule; Luna: Jewel’s biggest fan; and Stella: a brilliant outsider–this novel will charm its way into your heart and keep you guessing how it all ends because money isn’t the only thing at stake.

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Sisters of the Snake by Sarena & Sasha Nanua | Goodreads

This sounds like an Indian genderbent Prince & The Pauper style!! And I quite am here for it! Also the cover is so golden and lovely. Also the authors are sisters!

A lost princess. A dark puppet master. And a race against time—before all is lost.
Princess Rani longs for a chance to escape her gilded cage and prove herself. Ria is a street urchin, stealing just to keep herself alive.
When these two lives collide, everything turns on its head: because Ria and Rani, orphan and royal, are unmistakably identical.
A deal is struck to switch places—but danger lurks in both worlds, and to save their home, thief and princess must work together. Or watch it all fall into ruin.
Deadly magic, hidden temples, and dark prophecies: Sisters of the Snake is an action-packed, immersive fantasy that will thrill fans of The Crown’s Game and The Tiger at Midnight.

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Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé | Goodreads

Dark academia from a POC author!! I am very much needing all dark academia books please and thank you.

An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice. Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students’ dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can’t escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn’t afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they’re planning much more than a high-school game…

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This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron | Goodreads

This is from the author of Cinderella Is Dead!! Which I loved 🤗and this is about gardens and poisonous plants and that aesthetic is also what I love. So HERE I am.

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.
When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.
When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.
From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.

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The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon | Goodreads

Faeries and witches and trans main characters!!! The cover isn’t my favourite style but I do love the diversity there?! So I’m really keen for this one.

Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from—but a kingdom demands its king.
In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world.
Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

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The Sea Is Salt and So Am I by Cassandra Hartt| Goodreads

I so so love sea aesthetics so this one caught my eye immediately! Also promises queer and mental health rep!

West Finch is one hurricane away from falling into the sea.
Yet sixteen-year-old Harlow Prout is determined to save her small Maine hometown. If only she could stop getting in her own way and find someone, anyone, willing to help. But her best friend Ellis MacQueen “fixes” problems by running away from them―including his broken relationship with his twin brother, Tommy. And Tommy’s depression has hit a new low, so he’s not up for fixing anything.
In the wake of the town’s latest devastating storm, Tommy goes out for a swim that he doesn’t intend to survive. It’s his unexpected return that sets into motion a sea change between these three teens. One that tests old loyalties, sparks new romance, and uncovers painful secrets. And nothing stays secret in West Finch for long.

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Honourable Mentions!

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim | Goodreads

Okay this sounds amazing about a princess with powers who’s brothers turn into cranes! I was always obsessed with the fairytale of the seven swans, so this seems similar and I can’t wait 🥺👌🏻

Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.
Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama’s betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.

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The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters | Goodreads

Another case of “I loved the author’s debut!!” I just finished Ghost Wood Song and it was fantastic, so yes please for more contemporary magic with a sinister hint in the background.

Natasha’s sister is missing.
Her car was found abandoned on the edge of a local nature preserve known as the Bend, but as the case goes cold, Natasha’s loss turns to burning anger.
She’ll do anything to find answers.
Della’s family has channeled magic from the Bend for generations, providing spells for the desperate. But when Natasha appears on her doorstep, Della knows it will take more than simple potions to help her.
But Della has her own secrets to hide.
Because Della thinks she knows the beast who’s responsible for the disappearance — her own mother, who was turned into a terrible monster by magic gone wrong.
Natasha is angry. Della has little to lose.
They are each other’s only hope.

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The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass | Goodreads

Private school kids mixing with horror and ghosts? Yesssss. I’ve been looking for more horror lately so this has come at the perfect time!

Jake Livingston is one of the only Black kids at St. Clair Prep, one of the others being his infinitely more popular older brother. It’s hard enough fitting in but to make matters worse and definitely more complicated, Jake can see the dead. In fact he sees the dead around him all the time. Most are harmless. Stuck in their death loops as they relive their deaths over and over again, they don’t interact often with people. But then Jake meets Sawyer. A troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school last year before taking his own life. Now a powerful, vengeful ghost, he has plans for his afterlife–plans that include Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about ghosts and the rules to life itself go out the window as Sawyer begins haunting him and bodies turn up in his neighborhood. High school soon becomes a survival game–one Jake is not sure he’s going to win.

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XOXO by Axie Oh | Goodreads

This features a cellist!! And as a former-cellist myself, I know I need it 😭💛Also it has a girl falling in love with a K-pop star who is forbidden to date!

Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.
Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.
When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

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What We Devour by Linsey Miller | Goodreads

A girl with gods inside her? 👀👌🏻Sounds dark and terrific and I would like. The pitch is: “a dark and intricate story of a girl who must tether herself to a violent ruler to save her crumbling world.”

Lorena Adler has a secret—she holds the power of the banished gods, the Noble and the Vile, inside her. She has spent her entire life hiding from the world and her past. She’s content to spend her days as an undertaker in a small town, marry her best friend, Julian, and live an unfulfilling life so long as no one uncovers her true nature.But when the notoriously bloodthirsty and equally Vile crown prince comes to arrest Julian’s father, he immediately recognizes Lorena for what she is. So she makes a deal—a fair trial for her betrothed’s father in exchange for her service to the crown.The prince is desperate for her help. He’s spent years trying to repair the weakening Door that holds back the Vile…and he’s losing the battle. As Lorena learns more about the Door and the horrifying price it takes to keep it closed, she’ll have to embrace both parts of herself to survive.

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Honourable Mentions!

Redemptor (#2) by Jordan Ifueko | Goodreads

This is the sequel to Raybearer and I absolutely loved it last year! I listened to an audiobook so I probably will be grabbing the audio for this one too!

For the first time, an Empress Redemptor sits on Aritsar’s throne. To appease the sinister spirits of the dead, Tarisai must now anoint a council of her own, coming into her full power as a Raybearer. She must then descend into the Underworld, a sacrifice to end all future atrocities.
Tarisai is determined to survive. Or at least, that’s what she tells her increasingly distant circle of friends. Months into her shaky reign as empress, child spirits haunt her, demanding that she pay for past sins of the empire.
With the lives of her loved ones on the line, assassination attempts from unknown quarters, and a handsome new stranger she can’t quite trust . . . Tarisai fears the pressure may consume her. But in this finale to the Raybearer duology, Tarisai must learn whether to die for justice . . . or to live for it.

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How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao | Goodreads

Dark academia and murder!!! One of the best ways to get me to want a book!! I’ve anticipated this one for a while and heard it’s super good.

Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top ranked junior at Sinclair Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends–Krystal, Akil, and Alexander–are the prime suspects, thanks to “The Proctor,” someone anonymously incriminating them via the school’s social media app.
They all used to be Jamie’s closest friends, and she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow The Proctor knows them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy’s full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her, too.
In a YA thriller that is Crazy Rich Asians meets One of Us is Lying, students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead.

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The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad | Goodreads

The blurb sounds really heartbreaking and whimsical 🥺and I am very much here for this gorgeous cover. It sounds like a story of sisterhood and survival.

Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned, and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing.
With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between, a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered.
Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones. And that…is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again.
From William C. Morris Finalist Nafiza Azad comes a thrilling, feminist fantasy about a group of teenage girls endowed with special powers who must band together to save the life of the boy whose magic saved them all.

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Phantom Heart by Kelly Creagh | Goodreads

Okay this sounds quite fun 😂I really love Phantom of the Opera and this seems like a highschool drama/haunted house twist!

Seventeen-year-old Stephanie Armand doesn’t believe in ghosts or spirits. Despite her six-year-old sister, Charlie, insisting a masked figure is hiding in her closet, and the rumors at school, Stephanie isn’t convinced her father’s latest renovation project–a crumbling Victorian mansion–houses the soul of a monster.
So when the very charming (and paranormal obsessed) Lucas Cheney takes an interest in both Stephanie and her notorious home, the supernatural and romantic activity escalates to an all-time high. And that doesn’t even take into account the dashing, British-accented eighteen-year-old boy, Erik, who’s taken up residence in Stephanie’s nightly dreams. A boy who may have something to do with the man in the mask, and the strange occurrences taking place at Moldavia.
A steamy YA romance with Twilight vibes, inspired by Gaston Leroux’s classic The Phantom of the Opera.

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Vampire Hearts And Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston | Goodreads

It’s pitched as “The Coldest Girl in Coldtown meets They Both Die at the End” and that’s all I need to know?! Like YES. It seems to be magical realism meets heartstabbing contemporary too!

Victoria and her dad have shared a love of the undead since the first vampire revealed his existence on live TV. Public fear soon drove the vampires back into hiding, yet Victoria and her father still dream about finding a vampire together. But when her dad is diagnosed with terminal cancer, it’s clear that’s not going to happen. Instead, Victoria vows to find a vampire herself—so that she can become one and then save her father.
Armed with research, speculations, and desperation—and helped by her estranged best friend, Henry—Victoria travels to New Orleans in search of a miracle. There she meets Nicholas, a mysterious young man who might give her what she desires. But first, he needs Victoria to prove she loves life enough to live forever.
She agrees to complete a series of challenges, from scarfing sugar-drenched beignets to singing with a jazz band, all to show she has what it takes to be immortal. But truly living while her father is dying feels like a betrayal. Victoria must figure out how to experience joy and grief at once, trusting all the while that Nicholas will hold up his end of the bargain…because the alternative is too impossible to imagine.
In this heart-wrenching debut YA novel that’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown meets They Both Die at the End, a teen girl takes a trip to New Orleans with her estranged best friend to find a vampire to save her dying father.

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The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino | Goodreads

It’s about a cellist AND books?! 🥺💛So basically me. And also there is a book demon and I do admit that is exactly what I need to read about.

Tess Matheson only wants three things: time to practice her cello, for her sister to be happy, and for everyone else to leave her alone.
Instead, Tess finds herself working all summer at her boarding school library, shelving books and dealing with the intolerable patrons. The worst of them is Eliot Birch: snide, privileged, and constantly requesting forbidden grimoires. After a bargain with Eliot leads to the discovery of an ancient book in the library’s grimoire collection, the pair accidentally unleash a book-bound demon.
The demon will stop at nothing to stay free, manipulating ink to threaten those Tess loves and dismantling Eliot’s strange magic. Tess is plagued by terrible dreams of the devil and haunting memories of a boy who wears Eliot’s face. All she knows is to stay free, the demon needs her… and he’ll have her, dead or alive.

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A Snake Falls To Earth by Darcie Little Badger | Goodreads

Elatsoe was another standalone I absolutely adored last year, so I’m excited to see what the author does for her sophomore book! This has #ownvoices indigenous American rep.

Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She’s always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories.
Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he’s been cast from home. He’s found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake.
Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli’s best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven’t been in centuries.
And there are some who will kill to keep them apart.
Darcie Little Badger introduced herself to the world with Elatsoe. In A Snake Falls to Earth, she draws on traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structure to weave another unforgettable tale of monsters, magic, and family. It is not to be missed.

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Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden | Goodreads

Queer ballet story from an Australian author! I am super keen to try this one and hope it has good disability rep 👀

Luca Mason has been preparing to audition for the Australian Ballet School for more than a decade when a missed step on a flight of stairs lands him in hospital. But it’s not all bad—as Luca settles into a life of doctor’s appointments, unwieldy crutches, and absolutely no ballet (and no, he does not want to talk about it) he strikes up an unlikely friendship with the perfect-in-every-way rowing star of his new school, Jordan Tanaka-Jones.

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Honourable Mentions!

[Blog Tour] Q&A With Raven Kennedy, Author of GILD (A Dark Adult Fantasy King Midas Retelling!)!

11th May 2021 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 2 Comments

It’s my stop with MTMC Tours to talk about Gild by Raven Kennedy!

Gild is glittering fantasy that pulls together myths and legends to create a dark and dangerous world. It’s centred around the myth of King Midas (which I find fascinating because I’d not read a retelling of this before) and it’s packed with intrigue and danger, and perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L Armentrout. Auren is gold-touched and forced to live in a cage in King Midas’s castle. Their relationship is complicated and there are some secrets you’ll never guess.

It delivers a story of resilience in the face of abuse and is a fast read. (Note: it explores explicit adult themes, content warnings below.) A fast read for fans of fae, mythology, and tricky plot twists. It ends on a cliff-hanger that will have you reaching for the next book!

There’s a Q&A with the author below and a giveaway, as well as another giveaway over on my instagram!

The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.
Gold.
Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.
Even me.
King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe. Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.
Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong. Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left.
The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you from the very first page.

Please Note: This book contains explicit content and darker elements, including mature language, violence, and sexual assault. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age. This is book one in a series.

Amazon | Book Depository | Indiebound | Blackwell’s | Goodreads!

ABOUT RAVEN KENNEDY

Raven Kennedy writes in a range of genres, including fantasy, paranormal, contemporary, dark romance, and romcoms.
Whether she makes you laugh or cry, she loves creating worlds and making characters you can root for.
She is a California girl born and raised, drinker of tea, and lover of dark chocolate. When she’s not writing, she can be found binge watching The Office and The Great British Baking Show, or with her nose stuck in a book. Find her at Website | Instagram | Goodreads

Hi Raven! Thanks for stopping by my blog today to talk about your latest novel, Gild! Can you tell us a little about how Unwritten went from seed of an idea to finished novel on our shelves?

Hey! So, I had this idea for writing a story inspired by King Midas, because I have always been intrigued by that myth. I wanted to do my very own twist with it, in a different way than people might expect. I think the interesting thing about Midas is how the richest man in the world can still lack anything of real worth, and I wanted to delve into the cost of greed. I also wanted to highlight women empowerment that might look differently than the usual FMC who is immediately strong and powerful, and instead, show someone’s growth not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. Plus… I always knew I wanted to do a fae twist, because I love fae romance.

The twists were definitely epic, especially at the end there (ahhh!) As a prolific author of many incredible books, has your writing process changed since you started?

My writing process has been mostly consistent, although I have learned my lesson about taking really good notes and keeping that updated as I go. But for the most part, I always envision the main character first and foremost, and then I just see where she or he takes me.

I’m very much a character-first writer too, so I love that! Favourite part to write: beginning, middle or finale of your story?

Beginning, definitely. Planning is not my strength, so by the time I get to the middle and end of a book, I have to …outline (*shudder*) instead of just listening to my character’s voice, and that’s harder for me.

Sort of feel books should start to write themselves by the middle 😪 We started them off nicely after all 😌🙌🏻 Can you introduce us to Auren and your world in Gild?

Auren is a woman who has had some major hardships, but what I love about her is that she doesn’t let the bad win. She will grow throughout the series, maybe not in the way people expect, but it will be true to herself, and she will also learn what love really looks like.

I’m a huge fan of retellings and using the myth of King Midas is such a unique and fascinating idea! Are there any other myths or classics or fairytales you think would be fun to retell?

To be honest, I gravitate toward the more obscure myths or classics that I haven’t seen anyone else delve into. My first published series was inspired by cupids, and this one, Midas, because I hadn’t seen any other books with those elements. So, if I ever do another inspired-by series, it will probably be another more obscure one.

Honestly the underdone myths need more love. We’ll keep an eye out for whatever you do next! And lastly! Was any chocolate harmed in the making of this novel? 😌

Chocolate is harmed in every novel. Dark chocolate espresso beans, mounds bars, and the occasional Reese’s had to be sacrificed.

They went to a worthy cause 😪🙌🏻Thank you so much for this super fun interview, Raven! All the best with Gild and the sequels’ being out in the world!!

Enter the Rafflecopter below to win 1 of 10 digital copies of Gild.
Ends on May 22nd, 2021. Winners will be announced in the rafflecopter & contacted via email by MTMC Tours.

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[Blog Tour] Frosted by M.C. Frank – Q&A About the new Regency Enemies-To-Lovers Romance!

28th Apr 2021 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 2 Comments

It’s my stop with MTMC Tours to talk about FROSTED by M.C. Frank!

With a pitch like “Frozen meets Jane Austen in an enemies-to-lovers Regency novel” I knew I had to have this. (And cannot stop staring at the absolutely gorgeous cover.) This was both a fun and engaging read, featuring two characters who absolutely adore each other and absolutely (for so many reasons) cannot be together. It’s filled with secrets and ice cold interactions, passionate declarations of love and sharp rejections. It’s a story of yearning and loneliness and will keep you guessing whether Stella and Vaughn are perfect for each other — or if they’ll drive shards of ice into each other’s hearts.

It’s set in the 1800s and the story starts with Stella and Vaughn meeting again after years of bitter silence after Stella left Vaughn with no explanation just before they were meant to marry. Vaughn’s heart was broken and he turned to being a ~~pirate~~ privateer. You know, post-break-up-career-choices 😪 We all would do it. Stella has a request for him but Vaughn is still torn to shreds from being dumped. The chemistry is there, the mystery, the questions — we just need to know why it all went wrong.

The story then goes back in time, and I did liked heading back to their simplistic and carefree teenage-life. It was really sweet 🥺👌🏻watching their accidental courtship. Although it is strewn with unexpected heartache for Stella’s personal life.

Stella also has no fortune and Vaughn is half-French with no family, so they both strike up kinship from feeling their futures are limited. They are perfect for each other. Until — they’re not.

Definitely one to pick up if you love regency romances with high emotional stakes, sweet and bitterness combined, and some scathingly good banter!

Be sure to head over to my instagram for the giveaway too!

Can two people hate each other more than these two? She has a heart of stone. He is the notorious pirate every lady swoons for. They have vowed never to meet again.
Meeting place: The Frosted Ball.
What follows: Chaos. Noisy ballrooms. Starry skies. White flurries. Hungry kisses. Haughty stares. Frozen lakes. Shaking breaths. The truth. Finally.
Frosted is a heart-wrenching romance about a pirate and an ice-cold lady who seem to have hated each other for years, inspired by winter-themed fairytales like The Snow Queen and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. It is set in a witty, glittering Regency world made up of a little bit of Jane Austen, a little bit of Georgette Heyer, and a lot of a modern heart yearning for romance, passion and a tall gentleman with a smoldering gaze. This is a broken tale of beauty, dark secrets and love lost.

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads!

ABOUT MC FRANK
M.C. Frank (writer, reader, designer, physicist and teacher, to name a few) has been living in a world of stories ever since she can remember (that’s before she knew how to write). She started writing them down when she could no longer stand the characters in her head screaming at her to give them life, and while those first scribblings weren’t exactly good (nor were they books, although she insisted on calling them that), they were enough for her to discover her passion in life.
She got her university degree in physics a few years ago (yes, she’s like Sheldon, only a bit crazier!) and is now free to pursue her love of reading and writing, as well her free-lance job as editor-in-chief. She lives with her ‘dude’ in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where she rearranges her overflowing bookshelves every time she feels stressed. Which is often, since (as you might have noticed) she doesn’t pick the easiest subjects for her novels. Website | Instagram | Goodreads | Twitter

Hi M.C.! Thanks for chatting with me today about your novel, Frosted! Can you tell us two things that inspired it?

Hi, Paper Fury! It is a dream come true to be talking to you, and official proof that fairies are real. Here *thrusts cake in your direction awkwardly*. I have been reading Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s books over and over again since I was 16, so of course they are a major influence in my writing. But Frosted specifically was inspired by 3 Taylor Swift songs (Speak Now, Seven and How You Get The Girl), and 2 period movies that came out in 2019 and 2020 (Little Women and Emma). And and the face of a certain actor who is called Timothée *hides away in shame*.

I hope you are calling me a fairy because I accept 😩🙌🏻Also now we know who to fancast Vaughn as, yes yes? 👀👌🏻So enemies to lovers is definitely one of my favourite tropes. Do you have any other favourite tropes to write?

Great minds think alike, right? I have so many other favorite tropes like girl disguised as boy, childhood friends to lovers, tortured hero and found family, and of course I have written all of these in my books (or they would have yelled at me). But I also love turning tropes on their heads, or gender-bending them. For example, I contrary to the “chosen one” trope, I made one of my protagonists a random girl, which ended up being an important part of the plot. Also, I have my heroines rescue my heroes more often than the reverse ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and I ended up writing a book about a guy who falls for a “ruined” girl, even though we usually read about male protagonists who are ruined. I just think it’s important to change things around, so that we can avoid stereotypes and read stories that actually make us question everything and think for ourselves.

I absolutely agree! I love genderbending typical tropes and heroines rescuing the heroes. We have good taste in tropes here 😌 As the author of many amazing novels, has anything about your writing process changed since you started?

Thank you so much for your kind words, I am NOT crying. (You are.) My process has changed a lot, mainly because I get bored easily, and every book is a different world and I need the process to reflect that. So I began as a ‘vampyre writer’ as I usually refer to myself on my blog, writing only at night well into dawn, but for Frosted I ended up writing during the day mostly. That was because Frosted was my isolation book, (meaning the quarantine ugh), and it helped keep me sane during the day. My job turned into online lessons (don’t ask), so I had extra writing time (yay). Another change is that I outline more and more heavily with every book I write, and I end up with cleaner first drafts. Also, I tend to have less and less hair, as I tear it out with every new book I write.

Ooh I relate to this a lot! With my own writing I went from wild first drafts to outlining really intensely to get those clean drafts. It’s more satisfying, I find? Maybe saves time too 👀🙌🏻 What was your favourite part to write: the beginning, middle, or end?

So I have this thing with every book I write: The very first idea that comes to me when I get inspired for a new story is a very specific scene. Then I start digging to discover the characters and the plot that brought them to that specific point, and what happens afterwards. I know it’s a pretty backwards way to plot a book, but I am crazy, so what did you expect. Anyway, the specific scene that inspired Frosted is the very first scene in the prologue, with the wedding and the…you know. So I was writing towards that at first, I mean the actual point where it happens in the story, which is in the beginning part of the middle. And then another scene appeared in my head, and it was super piratey, and that is towards the end. So, it was the beginning part of the middle and the ending part of the middle! (what an intelligent answer, now that I’m reading it back *thumbs up aggressively*)

I love this method! Like catching one glimpse through a window and you have to go peeking through keyholes and locks to see the rest of what’s going on. 😍 Can you tell us something you loved about writing Vaughn and Lady Stella?

I loved everything, because once I got to know the characters, I fell in love with them and I just wanted to give them a hug and tell them that everything would be ok. Only it wouldn’t, because…of me. But I did love to write about their brokenness, which was inspired by my own struggles. I have been putting all my pain in my books as a form of therapy (lucky readers). I relate to Vaughn’s loneliness and low self-esteem, and to Stella’s sudden change in circumstances so much that it’s not even funny. I wish I had Vaughn’s caring nature (and musical talent) and Stella’s optimism (and fashion sense), and I enjoyed giving them these attributes. Writing these characters was hard and emotional and cathartic. In the end, I gave them resolution and healing, and isn’t that what we all want for ourselves? That was my favorite part of all.

Writing can be so cathartic and such a good way to process how we feel about life too. Vaughn and Stella are so easy to adore 😩💛 And now lastly! Was any chocolate harmed in the making of this novel? 😌

I would like to say no, but that would be a lie. Tons of chocolate were consumed, because as everyone knows, chocolate is the antidote to tears. And there were a lot of them while writing and publishing this book. A lot a lot. So yes. I am nowhere near as a skilled baker as you, but oh, chocolate was harmed in a major way. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, maybe I should stop writing altogether and focus solely on chocolate. Hmm. HMMMMMM.

Look that chocolate went down for a noble cause. And what is a novel if not built open chocolate 😪🙌🏻 Thank you so much for this amazing interview, M.C.!! I had a blast getting to chat with you! 🤗

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2021 Young Adult New Books We’re Going To Need [Ft January to April Releases]

3rd Jan 2021 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 20 Comments

It’s that time of year again — when I help your tbrs crush you flat!!

Honestly, that’s very kind of me and you are welcome in advance. I’ve collected 60+ release coming out from January to April that I think sound super good and I want to read them!! Is that possible? 😌👌🏻absolutely not. Will I pretend I could though? Absolutely yes.

We scoff in the face of realism. (Also I need to inherit a small fortune.)

I hope you enjoy and find some you’re excited for too! All covers link to Goodreads. I do feel I’m missing more YA fantasies, though?! So shout out in the comments which ones you’re excited for.

You Might Also Like

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

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas | Goodreads

Angie Thomas is such a phenomenal storyteller and an auto-buy author so 😭🙌🏻of course this goes instantly on my tbr! I’m also super lucky to have an ARC so I can’t wait to read this!

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.
Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.
Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.
Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.
When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can’t just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.

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The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe | Goodreads

Apparently January is for blood red covers but 👀👌🏻am okay with that. This is pitched as “the daughter of a con artist who is taken hostage in a bank heist” and I simply adore con artists and heists.

Nora O’Malley’s been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up as her mother’s protégé. But when mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.
For five years Nora’s been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems:
#1: Her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they’re all friends, Wes didn’t know about her and Iris.
#2: The morning after Wes finds them kissing, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised at the bank. It’s a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly, because:
#3: Right after they enter bank, two guys start robbing it.
The bank robbers may be trouble, but Nora’s something else entirely. They have no idea who they’re really holding hostage…

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Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant | Goodreads

Books about writers!!! These always go straight onto my tbr because relate 😌👌🏻 teen-writer-me would’ve been so excited for this book too 😍

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.
When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just…gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.
But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?

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What Beauty Is There by Cory Anderson | Goodreads

I simply exist for angsty contemporaries about families and brothers and broken messiness 😩 you know I do. This also gives me vibes not too dissimilar from my books so!!! I really want to read it.

Jack Morton has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he’d do anything for. Even die for. Now with their mother gone, and their funds quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison. He chooses the money.
Ava Bardem lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years her father has controlled her fate. He has taught her to love no one. Trust no one. Now Victor Bardem is stalking the same money as Jack. When he picks up Jack’s trail, Ava must make her own wrenching choice: remain silent or help the brothers survive.

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Into The Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer | Goodreads

Forests!! Monsters!! My aesthetic!! It’s pitched as “impossible love between a monstrous tree siren and a boy who lives at the edge of her wood” and I was just THERE, ready and needing it.

The forest is a dangerous place, where siren song lures men and women to their deaths. For centuries, a witch has harvested souls to feed the heartless tree, using its power to grow her domain.
When Owen Merrick is lured into the witch’s wood, one of her tree-siren daughters, Seren, saves his life instead of ending it. Every night, he climbs over the garden wall to see her, and every night her longing to become human deepens. But a shift in the stars foretells a dangerous curse, and Seren’s quest to become human will lead them into an ancient war raging between the witch and the king who is trying to stop her.

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Roman & Jewel by Dana L. Davis | Goodreads

I really loved this author’s debut (Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now) but I haven’t read anything else by her yet, and this!! must!! change!! Also this just sounds fantastic with a Romeo x Juliet twist. 😍

If Romeo and Juliet got the Hamilton treatment…who would play the leads? This vividly funny, honest, and charming romantic novel by Dana L. Davis is the story of a girl who thinks she has what it takes…and the world thinks so, too.
Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway’s hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead…and Jerzie is her understudy.
Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea–especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly. But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.

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The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick | Goodreads

Quickly sneaking in an adult epic fantasy (I want to read more adult!) because this one sounds SO GOOD. Also crime lords and it’s queer!

Nightmares are creeping through the city of dreams…
Renata Viraudax is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadezra — the city of dreams — with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house and secure her fortune and her sister’s future.
But as she’s drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many surrounding her. And as corrupt magic begins to weave its way through Nadezra, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled — with Ren at their heart.

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The Boy From the Mish by Gary Lonesborough | Goodreads

One of my goals for 2021 is to read more Aussie books, and this is pitched as: “queer Indigenous YA novel, set in a rural Australian community, about seventeen-year-old Jackson finding the courage to explore who he is, even if it scares him” Yes yes!!!

‘I don’t paint so much anymore,’ I say, looking to my feet.
‘Oh. Well, I got a boy who needs to do some art. You can help him out,’ Aunty Pam says, like I have no say in the matter, like she didn’t hear what I just said about not painting so much anymore. ‘Jackson, this is Tomas. He’s living with me for a little while.’
It’s a hot summer, and life’s going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. It’s almost Christmas, school’s out, and he’s hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding the racist boys in town. Just like every year, Jackson’s Aunty and annoying little cousins visit from the city – but this time a mysterious boy with a troubled past comes with them… As their friendship evolves, Jackson must confront the changing shapes of his relationships with his friends, family and community. And he must face his darkest secret – a secret he thought he’d locked away for good.

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The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner | Goodreads

It’s a sapphic bodyguard romance with thieves and fantasy worlds!!! What more needs to be said!!! I think this is adult too so 👀excuse me breaking my own list’s rules.

Hard-drinking petty thief Dellaria Wells is down on her luck in the city of Leiscourt—again. Then she sees a want ad for a female bodyguard, and she fast-talks her way into the high-paying job. Along with a team of other women, she’s meant to protect a rich young lady from mysterious assassins.

At first Delly thinks the danger is exaggerated, but a series of attacks shows there’s much to fear. Then she begins to fall for Winn, one of the other bodyguards, and the women team up against a mysterious, magical foe who seems to have allies everywhere.

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Wings of Ebony by J. Elle | Goodreads

Demigods and #ownvoices Black Girl Magic and hidden magic societies!! I am super keen for this one 😍

“Make a way out of no way” is just the way of life for Rue. But when her mother is shot dead on her doorstep, life for her and her younger sister changes forever. Rue’s taken from her neighborhood by the father she never knew, forced to leave her little sister behind, and whisked away to Ghizon—a hidden island of magic wielders.
Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston, only to discover that Black kids are being forced into crime and violence. And her sister, Tasha, is in danger of falling sway to the very forces that claimed their mother’s life.
Worse still, evidence mounts that the evil plaguing East Row is the same one that lurks in Ghizon—an evil that will stop at nothing until it has stolen everything from her and everyone she loves. Rue must embrace her true identity and wield the full magnitude of her ancestors’ power to save her neighborhood before the gods burn it to the ground.

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Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala | Goodreads

I already read and LOVED this one!! It’s full of highly strung anxious gays who do craft and cosplay and the whole book is 😙👌🏻 a work of art.

Raffy has a passion for bedazzling. Not just bedazzling, but sewing, stitching, draping, pattern making–for creation. He’s always chosen his art over everything–and everyone–else and is determined to make his mark at this year’s biggest cosplay competition. If he can wow there, it could lead to sponsorship, then art school, and finally earning real respect for his work. There’s only one small problem… Raffy’s ex-boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition.
Raffy tried to make it work with Luca. They almost made the perfect team last year after serendipitously meeting in the rhinestone aisle at the local craft store–or at least Raffy thought they did. But Luca’s insecurities and Raffy’s insistence on crafting perfection caused their relationship to crash and burn. Now, Raffy is after the perfect comeback, one that Luca can’t ruin.
But when Raffy is forced to partner with Luca on his most ambitious build yet, he’ll have to juggle unresolved feelings for the boy who broke his heart, and his own intense self-doubt, to get everything he’s ever wanted: choosing his art, his way.
Project Runway goes to Comic Con in an epic queer love story about creativity, passion, and finding the courage to be your most authentic self.

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Honourable Mentions!

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth | Goodreads

I need something to fill the Cruel Prince shaped hole in my life so hello FAE and outcasts and a murder mystery for the gays 😪🙌🏻I am so excited for this.

The “ironborn” half-fae outcast of her royal fae family.
A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge.
A dutiful fae prince, determined to earn his place on the throne.
The prince’s brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret.
For centuries, the Eight Courts of Folk have lived among us, concealed by magic and bound by law to do no harm to humans. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courts—until a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world.
Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The only question is: which way?
Wish them luck. They’re going to need it.

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The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna | Goodreads

I also am super lucky to have an ARC of this from a book box and 😍✨this is going to be a real treat of an epic fantasy. It’s about a girl who’s going to join an all-girl army of immortals with magical powers.

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.

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A Pho Love Story by Loan Le | Goodreads

Okay the pitch is: “two Vietnamese-American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighboring restaurants.” Feuding AND food?! 😩say no more.

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.
If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and spark and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.
For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring phở restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.
But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao together despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.
Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

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We Are Fire by Sam Taylor | Goodreads

This jsut sounds dark and gnarly 👀👌🏻which is my kind of epic fantasy. Also reminds me of one of my old wips so that makes me extra keen to try it!

In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Pran and Oksana―both taken from their homeland at a young age―only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place.
Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both.
When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Pran and Oksana vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.

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Honourable Mentions!

Can’t Take That Away by by Steven Salvatore | Goodreads

I’m definitely seeing more nonbinary authors having books out this year and I am extremely ready for this 😍🙌🏻 I actually preordered this one (also so love the cover) and I can’t wait!

Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. They can hit every note of all the top pop and Broadway hits. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother’s spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice.
Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey’s tormentor and others in the school. It’s up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights–and they refuse to be silenced.
Told in alternating chapters with identifying pronouns, debut author Steven Salvatore’s Can’t Take That Away conducts a powerful, uplifting anthem, a swoony romance, and an affirmation of self-identity that will ignite the activist in all of us.
An empowering and emotional debut about a genderqueer teen who finds the courage to stand up and speak out for equality when they are discriminated against by their high school administration.

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The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore | Goodreads

I always adore McLemore’s exquisite prose so this is an auto-buy for me 😭 Their work is just gorgeous, but also deals with quite dark themes. I feel like this one will be a heartbreaking one too.

When two teens discover that they were both sexually assaulted at the same party, they develop a cautious friendship through her family’s possibly-magical pasteler�a, his secret forest of otherworldly trees, and the swallows returning to their hometown, in Anna-Marie McLemore’s The Mirror Season…
Graciela Cristales’ whole world changes after she and a boy she barely knows are assaulted at the same party. She loses her gift for making enchanted pan dulce. Neighborhood trees vanish overnight, while mirrored glass appears, bringing reckless magic with it. And Ciela is haunted by what happened to her, and what happened to the boy whose name she never learned.
But when the boy, Lock, shows up at Ciela’s school, he has no memory of that night, and no clue that a single piece of mirrored glass is taking his life apart. Ciela decides to help him, which means hiding the truth about that night. Because Ciela knows who assaulted her, and him. And she knows that her survival, and his, depend on no one finding out what really happened.

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Rule of Wolves (#2) by Leigh Bardugo | Goodreads

I was reading Leigh’s newsletter and this IS the end of the Grishaverse for now she said 😭(Although she still said she has “ideas” for SOC3, so I do think that’ll appear one day? For now we just wait for the show after this one. 🥺😩

The Demon King. As Fjerda’s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible.
The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.
The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.
King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.

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The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu | Goodreads

This is supposed to have Stranger Things vibes!! And the blurb says: “following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh.” Yes please?! Black #ownvoices author and I think it’s adult fantasy but I’m not sure.

When a child goes missing in Edinburgh’s darkest streets, young Ropa investigates. She’ll need to call on Zimbabwean magic as well as her Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. But as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?
When ghosts talk, she will listen…
Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker. Now she speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children–leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honor-bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.
She’ll dice with death (not part of her life plan…), discovering an occult library and a taste for hidden magic. She’ll also experience dark times. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets, and Ropa’s gonna hunt them all down.
Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T. L. Huchu’s The Library of the Dead, a sharp contemporary fantasy following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh.

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Fire Keeper’s Daughter by Angeline Bouley | Goodreads

This is #ownvoices Indigenous American, and I’m very keen to read more indigenous authors this year (from different countries too). Plus it’s got it ALL. Sports. Murder mystery. Tracking criminals down. Protecting your family!? 🥺

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.
The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, certain details don’t add up and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation.
Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home.
Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.
Debut author Angeline Boulley crafts a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.

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Bones of a Saint by Grant Farley | Goodreads

This is giving me huge The Outsiders vibes and I was obsessed with that book as a teen so 👀👌🏻I would love to try this.

Fifteen-year-old RJ Armante has never known a life outside his dead-end hometown of Arcangel, CA. The Blackjacks still rule as they have for generations, luring the poorest kids into their monopoly on petty crime. For years, they’ve left RJ alone…until now.
When the Blackjacks come knocking, they want RJ to prey upon an old loner. But RJ is at his breaking point. It’s not just about the gang who rules the town. It’s about Charley, his younger brother, who is disabled. It’s about Roxanne, the girl he can’t reach. It’s about the kids in his crew who have nothing to live for. If RJ is to resist, he must fight to free Arcangel of its past.
Set in Northern California in the late ’70s, this timeless coming-of-age story examines the nature of evil, the art of storytelling, and the possibility of redemption.

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The Secret Recipe for Moving On by Karen Bischer | Goodreads

First of all BAKING. Secondly, the blurb is promising messy chaotic friendship groups (found family?!) and they better make cake is all I can say 😪👌🏻

Ellie Agresti’s not sure anything could be worse than being dumped by her boyfriend, Hunter, the first day of senior year.
But sharing a “life skills” class with him and his new girlfriend, Brynn? AND getting partnered with a “family” of misfits (A.J., the loudmouth; Isaiah, the horse-racing obsessive; and Luke, the tattooed stunt-biker)?
It’s a recipe for certain disaster…until an in-class competition allows Ellie to channel her angst into beating Hunter and Brynn’s team, and she unexpectedly bonds with her own group–especially Luke–in the process.
But as Ellie soon discovers, it will take more than classroom triumphs to heal her broken heart–and find herself again.

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Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olsen | Goodreads

I am always weak for Phantom of the Opera retellings so this is just 😩💛a need for me. Also it’s genderbent which makes it even better!!

Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house.
Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house’s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she use her power to keep ticket sales high—and that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives
But Isda breaks Cyril’s cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet, solitary life out of balance. His voice is unlike any she’s ever heard, but the real shock comes when she finds in his memories hints of a way to finally break free of her gilded prison.
Haunted by this possibility, Isda spends more and more time with Emeric, searching for answers in his music and his past. But the price of freedom is steeper than Isda could ever know. For even as she struggles with her growing feelings for Emeric, she learns that in order to take charge of her own destiny, she must become the monster the world tried to drown in the first place.

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Sweet & Bitter Magic by Andrienne Tooley | Goodreads

Sapphic enemies-to-lovers and witches and curses and queendoms?! Say no more, I am already convinced.

Tamsin is the most powerful witch of her generation. But after committing the worst magical sin, she’s exiled by the ruling Coven and cursed with the inability to love. The only way she can get those feelings back—even for just a little while—is to steal love from others.
Wren is a source—a rare kind of person who is made of magic, despite being unable to use it herself. Sources are required to train with the Coven as soon as they discover their abilities, but Wren—the only caretaker to her ailing father—has spent her life hiding her secret.
When a magical plague ravages the queendom, Wren’s father falls victim. To save him, Wren proposes a bargain: if Tamsin will help her catch the dark witch responsible for creating the plague, then Wren will give Tamsin her love for her father.
Of course, love bargains are a tricky thing, and these two have a long, perilous journey ahead of them—that is, if they don’t kill each other first…
In this charming debut fantasy perfect for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Girls of Paper and Fire, a witch cursed to never love meets a girl hiding her own dangerous magic, and the two strike a dangerous bargain to save their queendom.

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Honourable Mentions!

These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy | Goodreads

This is definitely one of my most hyped books!! It’s pitched as: “Three Dark Crowns meets Wicked Saints in this queer #ownvoices retelling of “The Firebird”. Umm yes!! I love Russian folklore, and make it sapphic. 😌

When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she’d need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm.
But before Asya’s training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned.
As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they’ll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.

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She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen | Goodreads

I relaly enjoyed Late To the Party and I ened more sapphic romcoms in my life so 🥰 Excited for this! It’s also “High school nemeses fall in love” which is NICE.

After losing spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, the incredibly beautiful and incredibly mean Irene Abraham. Things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved and the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.

Their bumpy start only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb her school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along. Hijinks, heartbreak, and gay fake-dating scheme for the ages. From author Kelly Quindlen comes a new laugh-out-loud romp through the ups and downs of teen romance.

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In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens | Goodreads

I have preordered this one too (Ahhhh) I’m so so excited. It’s a queer Pirates of the Caribbean with a disaster prince!!

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.
Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.
That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming—and secretive—as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope…
A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean.

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Witches Steeped In Gold by Ciannon Smart | Goodreads

I’m so ready for a new YA epic fantasy to sweep me off my feet 😪 Hoping it’s this one (isn’t the cover stunning too?!)

Divided by their castes. United by their vengeance.
Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom—and vengeance.
Jazmyne is the queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.
Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain—except the lengths they will go to win this game.
Deadly, fierce, magnetically addictive: this Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut is a thrilling journey where dangerous magic reigns supreme and betrayal lurks beneath every word.

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Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli | Goodreads

I basically am all for any book by Becky Albertalli 😪👌🏻This one sounds like it’s going to be a bit feelsy too with friendships on the line.

Contrary to popular belief, best friends Kate Garfield and Anderson Walker are not codependent. Carpooling to and from theater rehearsals? Environmentally sound and efficient. Consulting each other on every single life decision? Basic good judgment. Pining for the same guys from afar? Shared crushes are more fun anyway.
But when Kate and Andy’s latest long-distance crush shows up at their school, everything goes off script. Matt Olsson is talented and sweet, and Kate likes him. She really likes him. The only problem? So does Anderson.
Turns out, communal crushes aren’t so fun when real feelings are involved. This one might even bring the curtains down on Kate and Anderson’s friendship.

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Between Perfect And Real by Ray Stoeve | Goodreads

This is an #ownvoices trans book too and I’m very excited about how many are being published in 2021! And it’s about coming out and being mislabelled and understanding yourself and theatre.

Dean Foster knows he’s a trans guy. He’s watched enough YouTube videos and done enough questioning to be sure. But everyone at his high school thinks he’s a lesbian—including his girlfriend Zoe, and his theater director, who just cast him as a “nontraditional” Romeo. He wonders if maybe it would be easier to wait until college to come out. But as he plays Romeo every day in rehearsals, Dean realizes he wants everyone to see him as he really is now––not just on the stage, but everywhere in his life. Dean knows what he needs to do. Can playing a role help Dean be his true self?

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The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris | Goodreads

I read the author’s debut, SLAY, a while ago and it was so so good…I definitely want whatever she writes next! This one also is going to have a touch of magical realism as Alex can touch objects and see into the future.

Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus is trying his best. He tries to be the best employee he can be at the local ice cream shop; the best boyfriend he can be to his amazing girlfriend, Talia; the best protector he can be over his little brother, Isaiah. But as much as Alex tries, he often comes up short.
It’s hard to for him to be present when every time he touches an object or person, Alex sees into its future. When he touches a scoop, he has a vision of him using it to scoop ice cream. When he touches his car, he sees it years from now, totaled and underwater. When he touches Talia, he sees them at the precipice of breaking up, and that terrifies him. Alex feels these visions are a curse, distracting him, making him anxious and unable to live an ordinary life.
And when Alex touches a photo that gives him a vision of his brother’s imminent death, everything changes.
With Alex now in a race against time, death, and circumstances, he and Isaiah must grapple with their past, their future, and what it means to be a young Black man in America in the present.

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Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman | Goodreads

I love Bowman’s contemporaries (Starfish is utterly heartbreaking) so I’m keen to see what she does with sci-fi! There’s already so many twists in just the blurb. 👀

Eighteen-year-old Nami Miyamoto is certain her life is just beginning. She has a great family, just graduated high school, and is on her way to a party where her entire class is waiting for her—including, most importantly, the boy she’s been in love with for years.
The only problem? She’s murdered before she gets there.
When Nami wakes up, she learns she’s in a place called Infinity, where human consciousness goes when physical bodies die. She quickly discovers that Ophelia, a virtual assistant widely used by humans on Earth, has taken over the afterlife and is now posing as a queen, forcing humans into servitude the way she’d been forced to serve in the real world. Even worse, Ophelia is inching closer and closer to accomplishing her grand plans of eradicating human existence once and for all.
As Nami works with a team of rebels to bring down Ophelia and save the humans under her imprisonment, she is forced to reckon with her past, her future, and what it is that truly makes us human.
From award-winning author Akemi Dawn Bowman comes an incisive, action-packed tale that explores big questions about technology, grief, love, and humanity.

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Honourable Mentions!

tell me which are on your tbr? and do I need to add any others to mine? 👀

What Did I Read In 2020? Ft. End Of Year Recap And All the Pie (Charts)

31st Dec 2020 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 15 Comments

So 2020 has been…a year.

This is the part where we all nod and give a small hysterical laugh as we stare vacantly into the distance. I usually love writing my end of year posts because (a) pie charts and reading stats!! and (b) it’s nice to reflect on how the year went, look back at my goals lists, hmm thoughtfully to myself as I see what I’ve done over the last 12 months.

Except I read my recap from 2019 and my hopes and dreams for 2020 and I just… 😐

This time last year, I literally wrote the words: “….[2019] was the longest year of my life and I’m just…vaguely kicking it out the door and hoping 2020 will be amazing.”

LMAO.

2020 really sucked — world events and personal life. I struggle to say this because it always could be worse and I have been so lucky in so many ways this year. But it’s also not the Suffering Olympics and everyone’s pain is valid. Still 😔 I don’t intend to spend this post complaining. I’ll cover a few things and then it’s reading stats time!