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2021 New Young Adult Book Releases I Need (Badly) Ft. Sept to November

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Hiiii and I am back with more books for your towering TBR piles!!

I know, I know 😭 our wallets and overcrowded bookshelves do not need this, but do our hearts need it? Yes. That’s what’s important here alright. Snatching that fleeting moment of happiness while burying your face into a new book.

This will be my last YA new releases anticipation list for the year!! I will start in on 2022 books soon though so 😌 there will be no true rest. (Okay but the 2022 covers are already looking gorgeous.)

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➢ 2021 YA New Releases (Jan to April)
➢ 2021 YA New Releases (May to August)
➢ Why It’s Perfectly Acceptable To Have An Enormous TBR Pile

Dark & Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain | Goodreads

Ngl this cover made it an instant preorder for me 👀 but also small creepy towns and sinister vibes are my thing, so I’m super excited for this!

La Cachette, Louisiana, is the worst place to be if you have something to hide. This tiny town, where seventeen-year-old Grey spends her summers, is the self-proclaimed Psychic Capital of the World–and the place where Elora Pellerin, Grey’s best friend, disappeared six months earlier.
Grey can’t believe that Elora vanished into thin air any more than she can believe that nobody in a town full of psychics knows what happened. But as she digs into the night that Elora went missing, she begins to realize that everybody in town is hiding something – her grandmother Honey; her childhood crush Hart; and even her late mother, whose secrets continue to call to Grey from beyond the grave.
When a mysterious stranger emerges from the bayou – a stormy-eyed boy with links to Elora and the town’s bloody history – Grey realizes that La Cachette’s past is far more present and dangerous than she’d ever understood. Suddenly, she doesn’t know who she can trust. In a town where secrets lurk just below the surface, and where a murderer is on the loose, nobody can be presumed innocent–and La Cachette’s dark and shallow lies may just rip the town apart.
A teen girl disappears from her small town deep in the bayou, where magic festers beneath the surface of the swamp like water rot, in this chilling debut supernatural thriller for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power.
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So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow | Goodreads

I have absolutely not read the original Little Women but pfft 😂 let’s not let that stop me. This looks incredible! And I loved this author’s book, A Song Below Water.

North Carolina, 1863. As the American Civil War rages on, the Freedmen’s Colony of Roanoke Island is blossoming, a haven for the recently emancipated. Black people have begun building a community of their own, a refuge from the shadow of the old life. It is where the March family has finally been able to safely put down roots with four young daughters:
Meg, a teacher who longs to find love and start a family of her own.
Jo, a writer whose words are too powerful to be contained.
Beth, a talented seamstress searching for a higher purpose.
Amy, a dancer eager to explore life outside her family’s home.
As the four March sisters come into their own as independent young women, they will face first love, health struggles, heartbreak, and new horizons. But they will face it all together. 
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A Clash of Steal: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee | Goodreads

This cover though 😍 I believe this is part of the same series as the above book (but from different authors obviously!) And I LOVE retellings so this is so exciting. I always loved Treasure Island (and Disney’s Treasure Planet let’s be real.)

Two intrepid girls hunt for a legendary treasure on the deadly high seas in this YA remix of the classic adventure novel Treasure Island.
1826. The sun is setting on the golden age of piracy, and the legendary Dragon Fleet, the scourge of the South China Sea, is no more. Xiang has grown up with stories about the Dragon Fleet and its ruthless leader, a woman known only as the Dragon Queen, all her life. Xiang desperately wants to set sail and explore—mainly to find her father, a presumed dead crew member of the Dragon Fleet. Her only memento of him is a pendant she always wears, a simple but plain piece of gold jewelry.
But the pendant’s true nature is revealed when a mysterious girl named Anh steals it, only to return it to Xiang in exchange for her help in decoding the tiny map scroll hidden inside. Rumor has it that the legendary Dragon Queen had one last treasure—the plunder of a thousand ports—hidden away on an island shrouded in mist that only can be seen once in a blue moon.
Xiang is convinced this map could lead to the fabled treasure. Captivated with the thrill of adventure, she joins Anh and her motley crew off in pursuit of the island. But the girls soon find that the sea—and especially those who sail it—are far more dangerous than the legends led them to believe.  
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The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Goodreads

Yessss I need this one badly after the cliffhanger of book 1! Also this series is just me living my indulgent dream of inheriting a billionaire’s fortune 😪 I am getting tips.

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions—including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons. 
Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she’s not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, two of the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture—by any means necessary. 
With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, Knives Out-like family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike. 
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Things We Couldn’t Say by Jay Coles | Goodreads

I’ve been waiting for a new book from this author since Tyler Johnson Was Here so !! Am keen for this and maaaaybe preordered it 😌

There’s always been a hole in Gio’s life. Not because he’s into both guys and girls. Not because his father has some drinking issues. Not because his friends are always bringing him their drama. No, the hole in Gio’s life takes the shape of his birth mom, who left Gio, his brother, and his father when Gio was nine years old. For eight years, he never heard a word from her . . . and now, just as he’s started to get his life together, she’s back.
It’s hard for Gio to know what to do. Can he forgive her like she wants to be forgiven? Or should he tell her she lost her chance to be in his life? Complicating things further, Gio’s started to hang out with David, a new guy on the basketball team. Are they friends? More than friends? At first, Gio’s not sure . . . especially because he’s not sure what he wants from anyone right now.
There are no easy answers to love — whether it’s family love or friend love or romantic love. In Things We Couldn’t Say, Jay Coles, acclaimed author of Tyler Johnson Was Here, shows us a guy trying to navigate love in all its ambiguity — hoping at the other end he’ll be able to figure out who is and who he should be. 
From one of the brightest and most acclaimed new lights in YA fiction, a fantastic new novel about a bi Black boy finding first love . . . and facing the return of the mother who abandoned his preacher family when he was nine. 
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Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao | Goodreads

I heard this had a love triangle that ends in polyam so 😌👌🏻 finally a triangle that makes sense. Also it sounds really epic!!

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed. 
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White Smoke by Tiffany D Jackson | Goodreads

All of her books are brilliant and utterly HARROWING and now she’s doing horror?!? Yes please. I’m ready to be ruined. (Monday’s Not Coming haunted me enough as is 😩😭)

Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper.
The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its . . . secrets. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.
But “running from ghosts” is just a metaphor, right?
As the house closes in, Mari learns that the danger isn’t limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And secrets always find their way through the cracks.
The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out in this chilling YA psychological thriller and modern take on the classic haunted house story from New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson!  
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Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber | Goodreads

Jacks is back with his own book!! Although I actually thought it would be narrated by him but I don’t think so 😂 Either way, ready for more lush Stephanie Garber prose after Caraval!

Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father’s curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well.
But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy… 
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Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo | Goodreads

I’m sneaking one adult book onto here (more like a dark academia YA/adult crossover) because I’m absolutely dying with need for this one! It’s like a checklist of everything I adore in books 😭

Andrew and Eddie did everything together, best friends bonded more deeply than brothers, until Eddie left Andrew behind to start his graduate program at Vanderbilt. Six months later, only days before Andrew was to join him in Nashville, Eddie dies of an apparent suicide. He leaves Andrew a horrible inheritance: a roommate he doesn’t know, friends he never asked for, and a gruesome phantom with bleeding wrists that mutters of revenge.
As Andrew searches for the truth of Eddie’s death, he uncovers the lies and secrets left behind by the person he trusted most, discovering a family history soaked in blood and death. Whirling between the backstabbing academic world where Eddie spent his days and the circle of hot boys, fast cars, and hard drugs that ruled Eddie’s nights, the walls Andrew has built against the world begin to crumble, letting in the phantom that hungers for him. 
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Social Queue by Kay Kerr | Goodreads

I had the honour of blurbing this one!! After loving Kay Kerr’s debut (Please Don’t Hug Me) I was super excited for more authentic and relatable autistic and australian teen experiences – and this didn’t disappoint!

Zoe Kelly is starting a new phase of her life. High school was a mess of bullying and autistic masking that left her burnt out and shut down. Now, with an internship at an online media company—the first step on the road to her dream writing career—she is ready to reinvent herself. But she didn’t count on returning to her awkward and all-too-recent high-school experiences for her first writing assignment.
When her piece, about her non-existent dating life, goes viral, eighteen-year-old Zoe is overwhelmed and more than a little surprised by the response. But, with a deadline and a list of romantic contenders from the past to reconnect with for her piece on dating, she is hoping one of her old sparks will turn into a new flame.
Social Queue is a funny and heart-warming autistic story about deciphering the confusing signals of attraction and navigating a path to love.  
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Honourable Mentions!

Aristotle And Dante Dive into The Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire SĂĄenz | Goodreads

I’ve been waiting for this forever 🥺 a sequel to Ari & Dante!? The anticipation is so high I JUST–

In Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, two boys in a border town fell in love. Now, they must discover what it means to stay in love and build a relationship in a world that seems to challenge their very existence.
Ari has spent all of high school burying who he really is, staying silent and invisible. He expected his senior year to be the same. But something in him cracked open when he fell in love with Dante, and he can’t go back. Suddenly he finds himself reaching out to new friends, standing up to bullies of all kinds, and making his voice heard. And, always, there is Dante, dreamy, witty Dante, who can get on Ari’s nerves and fill him with desire all at once.
The boys are determined to forge a path for themselves in a world that doesn’t understand them. But when Ari is faced with a shocking loss, he’ll have to fight like never before to create a life that is truthfully, joyfully his own.  
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That Dark Infinity by Kate Pentecost | Goodreads

This COVER 😍 I’m smitten. But also it sounds like an exciting epic fantasy of monsters and curses so I’m here for it.

By night, the Ankou is a legendary, permanently young mercenary. By day, a witch’s curse leaves him no more than bones. Caught in an unending cycle of death and resurrection, the Ankou wants only to find the death that has been prophesied for him, especially once he begins to rot while he’s still alive….
After the kingdom of Kaer-Ise is sacked, Flora, loyal handmaiden to the princess, is assaulted and left for dead. As the sole survivor of the massacre, Flora wants desperately to find the princess she served. When the Ankou agrees to help her find the princess, and to train her in exchange for her help in breaking his curse, she accepts. But how can she kill an immortal? Especially one whom she is slowly growing to understand—and maybe even to love?
Together, they will solve mysteries, battle monsters, break curses, and race not only against time, but against fate itself. 
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Vial of Tears by Cristin Bishara | Goodreads

This sounds super unique?! And the cover truly caught my eye too!!

Two sisters become trapped in the underworld–and in the machinations of deities, shapeshifters, and ghouls–in this lush and dangerous Phoenician mythology-inspired fantasy.
Sixteen-year-old sisters Samira and Rima aren’t exactly living the dream. Instead, they live with their maddeningly unreliable mother in a rundown trailer in Michigan. Dad’s dead, money’s tight, and Mom disappears for days at a time. So when Sam’s grandfather wills her the family valuables–a cache of Lebanese antiquities–she’s desperate enough to try pawning them before Mom can.
But she shouldn’t. Because one is cursed, forbidden, the burial coin of a forgotten god. Disturbing it condemns her and Rima to the Phoenician underworld, a place of wicked cities, burning cedar forests, poisoned feasts of milk and lemons, and an endless, windless ocean.
Nothing is what it seems. No one is who they say. And down here, the night never ends.
To get home–and keep her sister safe–Sam will have to outwit beautiful shapeshifters, pose as a royal bride, sail the darkest sea… and maybe kill the god of death himself. 
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The Keeper of the Night by Kylie Lee Baker | Goodreads

This just sounds extremely badass with soul collecting and death goddesses and a sister/brother duo!

Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can.
When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she’s never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death… only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task—find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons—and learns how far she’ll go to claim her place at Death’s side. 
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Tink And Wendy by Kelly Ann Jacobson | Goodreads

A queer peter pan retelling (with a love triangle?!) is basically always what I want so 😪🙌🏻 I have an eARC of this and am super keen to read it!

What happens when Tinker Bell is in love with both Peter Pan and Wendy? In this sparkling re-imagining of Peter Pan, Peter and Wendy’s granddaughter Hope Darling finds the reclusive Tinker Bell squatting at the Darling mansion in order to care for the graves of her two lost friends after a love triangle gone awry. As Hope wins the fairy’s trust, Tink tells her the truth about Wendy and Peter—and her own role in their ultimate fate. Told in three alternating perspectives—past, present, and excerpts from a book called Neverland: A History written by Tink’s own fairy godmother—this queer adaptation is for anyone who has ever wondered if there might have been more to the story of Tinker Bell and the rest of the Peter Pan legend. 
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The Heartbreak Bakery A.R. Capetta | Goodreads

Just say MAGIC BAKERY and I’m there, and make it queer and it’s just a done deal. Also I really loved A.R. Capetta’s The Brilliant Death too!

Teenage baker Syd sends ripples of heartbreak through Austin’s queer community when a batch of post-being-dumped brownies turns out to be magical—and makes everyone who eats them break up.
“What’s done is done.”
Unless, of course, it was done by my brownies. Then it’s getting undone.
Syd (no pronouns, please) has always dealt with big, hard-to-talk-about things by baking. Being dumped is no different, except now Syd is baking at the Proud Muffin, a queer bakery and community space in Austin. And everyone who eats Syd’s breakup brownies . . . breaks up. Even Vin and Alec, who own the Proud Muffin. And their breakup might take the bakery down with it. Being dumped is one thing; causing ripples of queer heartbreak through the community is another. But the cute bike delivery person, Harley (he or they, check the pronoun pin, it’s probably on the messenger bag), believes Syd about the magic baking. And Harley believes Syd’s magical baking can fix things, too—one recipe at a time.  
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Honourable Mentions!

A Snake Falls To Earth by Darcie Little Badger | Goodreads

As a huge fan of Elatsoe last year, I need more from this author!! I’m not sure if this one also has ace rep but kind of hoping. And the cultural storytelling aspect sounds amazing already 😍

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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The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath | Goodreads

Queerness, disability rep, historical fiction !!! This has it all 🥺 And I think it has some queer-platonic triangles happening? Will read asap to see 😩👌🏻

A genre-defying debut, this queer historical YA centers a wild and reckless trio who fly in the face of small town tradition—full of compassion, love, and determination to live the lives of their choosing.
It’s Norway 1904, and Asta Hedstrom doesn’t want to marry her odious betrothed, Nils—even though a domestic future is all her mother believes she’s suited for, on account of her single-sided deafness, unconventional appearance, and even stranger notions. Asta would rather spend her life performing in the village theater with her friends and fellow outcasts: her best friend Gunnar Fuglestad and his secret boyfriend, wealthy Erlend Fournier.
But the situation takes a dire turn when Nils lashes out in jealousy—gravely injuring Gunnar. Shunning marriage for good, Asta moves with Gunnar and Erlend to their secluded cabin above town. With few ties left with their families, they have one shot at gaining enough kroner to secure their way of life: win the village’s annual horse race. 
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You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus | Goodreads

It’s funny because the first time I read a McManus thriller I didn’t love it…and then every single one after that I’ve adored 😂 So I need this!! I really love her characters and the mysteries in the plots.

Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Now all they have in common is Carlton High and the beginning of a very bad day.
Type A Ivy lost a student council election to the class clown, and now she has to face the school, humiliated. Heartthrob Mateo is burned out–he’s been working two jobs since his family’s business failed. And outsider Cal just got stood up . . . again.
So when Cal pulls into campus late for class and runs into Ivy and Mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. They’ll ditch and go into the city. Just the three of them, like old times. Except they’ve barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say . . .
. . . until they spot another Carlton High student skipping school–and follow him to the scene of his own murder. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it’s about to get worse.
It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common. They all have a connection to the dead kid. And they’re all hiding something.
Now they’re all wondering–could it be that their chance reconnection wasn’t by chance after all?
From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand-new pulse-pounding thriller. It’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with murder when three old friends relive an epic ditch day, and it goes horribly–and fatally–wrong.
 
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Spin Me Right Around by David Valdes | Goodreads

This sounds really fun and twisty! A queer Back to the Future!

From lauded writer David Valdes, a sharp and funny YA novel that’s Back to the Future with a twist, as a gay teen travels back to his parents’ era to save a closeted classmate’s life.
All Luis Gonzalez wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” school still doesn’t allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But that was ages ago, when Luis’s parents were in high school; it would never happen today, right? He’s determined to find a way to give his LGBTQ friends the respect they deserve (while also not risking his chance to be prom king, just saying…).
When a hit on the head knocks him back in time to 1985 and he meets the doomed young Chaz himself, Luis concocts a new plan-he’s going to give this guy his first real kiss. Though it turns out a conservative school in the ’80s isn’t the safest place to be a gay kid. Especially with homophobes running the campus, including Gordo (aka Luis’s estranged father). Luis is in over his head, trying not to make things worse-and hoping he makes it back to present day at all.
In a story that’s fresh, intersectional, and wickedly funny, David Valdes introduces a big-mouthed, big-hearted queer character that readers won’t soon forget.  
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Starling by Isabel Strychacz | Goodreads

This is promising lush prose which is my THING. I absolutely can’t wait and may have this preordered. 😍

Strange things have always happened in the small town of Darling…Yet Delta Wilding and her sister Bee are familiar with the peculiar. Raised by an eccentric father always on the hunt for the spectacular, they’re used to following weather patterns that twirl onto strange paths, a car that refuses to play any artist but one, and living in a sentient house with whims of its own. But when a mysterious boy falls from the stars into the woods behind the Wilding sisters’ farmhouse, nothing can prepare them for the extraordinary turn their lives are about to take.
Extraordinary, and dangerous.
Starling Rust is not from this world and his presence in the Wilding home brings attention. As the terrified locals, Delta’s ex-boyfriend, and the unscrupulous mayor descend onto the Wilding’s home, both Delta and her sister go to incredible lengths to protect their mystical visitor–especially as Delta’s growing feelings for Starling could prove the greatest risk of all.
Filled with atmospheric prose and lush and vivid descriptions, Starling has the spectacular waiting with every flip of the page.
Edward Scissorhands meets When the Moon Was Ours in this enchanting, lushly romantic novel about two teen sisters who fight to protect the mysterious stranger who literally fell from the stars and into their backyard. 
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Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen | Goodreads

Am very excited for mermaids meets West African Mythology here! And the cover is so pretty!!

A way to survive.
A way to serve.
A way to save.
Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata–a mermaid–collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.
But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi does the unthinkable–she saves his life, going against an ancient decree. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy it.
To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But something is amiss. There’s the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail. . . .
Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she doesn’t, then she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.
An unforgettable fantasy debut inspired by West African mythology, this is Children of Blood and Bone meets The Little Mermaid, in which a mermaid takes on the gods themselves.
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Honourable Mentions!

[Blog Tour] Macario’s Scepter by MJ McGriff – A Swashbuckling Author Q&A!

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It’s my blog tour stop with MTMC Tours to interview the author of Macario’s Scepter!

You might remember my review for Macario’s Scepter by M.J. McGriff back in February, where I talked about this action-packed adventure of sisters and pirate schemes and dazzling plot twists. Now today I get to interview the author!! But first 👀👌🏻 a little recap on why this book should be on your tbr…

Reasons To Read Macario’s Scepter

  • Think PIRATES (including charming roguish pirate love interests)
  • enemies to lovers romance
  • destines and prophecies and a search for magic and secrets
  • it features twin sisters, Seraphina and Samara, who are like ice and fire (and we love them for it!!) Samara is the headstrong badass who wants to dive into adventure, while Seraphina is the nun, trying to live a quiet and contemplative life but ends up chasing after her sister’s mad and reckless adventure.
  • banter and bickering and sibling bonds
  • reluctant Chosen Ones
  • sea serpents and fights
  • magic and mayhem

It’s definitely the kind of fun pirate adventure that you won’t want to put down!

She belonged out on the sparkling sea, sailing into that beautiful sunset. No more veils. No more prayers. No more judging eyes. This time when she left, she’d leave for good.

An unlikely Chosen One, her pirate captain ex-lover, and a treasure-hunting nun. A prophecy that unleashes a fire-breathing sea serpent pouring its wrath on the isles. A magical scepter with the power to destroy—or save—the world.
Samara is a ship wrecked at sea. She can’t seem to get anything right, especially her love life. Her former pirate captain, the famous Baz Blackwater, broke her heart and stranded her on an island of religious hypocrites. Samara wants nothing more than to escape to the freedom of the sea, so when her ex-lover shows up offering a chance at a magical treasure—and secret revenge—she jumps at the chance.
Seraphina prays every day for her wayward twin sister to stop chasing the pirate life and find the peace she’s discovered in her own quiet life at the convent. But Samara has nothing but contempt for her sister’s beliefs and religious rituals. Yet when Seraphina uncovers an ancient prophecy revealing the horrifying curse of the treasure Samara and Baz seek, she must leave her convent—risking the wrath of her Order—and search for the truth about Macario’s scepter.
In a world of friendship and betrayal, monsters and magic, seedy pubs and adventure on the high seas, will Samara’s magical powers, Baz’s cunning plans, and Seraphina’s unshakable faith be enough to slay a cursed sea serpent destroying everything they love?

Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository  | Blackwell’s | Goodreads!

MJ McGriff writes fast-paced YA fantasy and sci-fi stories featuring pirates, exotic locations, and amazing characters of color. She loves all things Marvel, Star Wars, and whatever she can find on a dessert menu. She lives in sunny South Florida with her two daughters who love to play pretend just as much as she does. Find her online at Website | Instagram | Goodreads | Twitter

Hi MJ! Thanks so much for chatting with us about Macario’s Scepter! Can you tell us a bit about how it went from first idea to published novel?

I first got the idea to write a story about a female pirate back in the summer of 2017. I was on maternity leave with my second daughter and had my 4-year old  home with me too. So in between nap times I was watching Black Sails, a pirate drama on Starz and got the idea for a story. It would take another year to get the first draft to my editor.

I thought the story was solid, thinking I would only need to do a couple of tweaks.

Boy was I wrong!

I had to cut out 30,000 words and an entire main character and get the draft back to my editor — in a month. 😭

After a 2-day pity party with cheesecake and wine, I got to work taking apart the story, putting it back together with \ stronger characters and a better storyline..

By the time the second round of edits were completed we were in the middle of a very nasty pandemic. But we pulled it together and I self-published Macario’s Scepter in ebook, paperback, and hardcover in April of 2020.

Honestly cheesecake helps ALL writing crises. So glad Macario’s came together so marvellously in the end 😩🙌🏻 What’s your favourite part about writing epic fantasy?

Creating the worlds is my absolutely favorite part! I’m a bit of a history nerd so I get to mash up my favorite historical events as well as weave in rich cultures you don’t see often in the YA fantasy genre. By doing that I get to create worlds that truly reflect what I love as well as what I want to change about the world we live in.

Escapism is such an incredible part of the reading experience for sure too. Now to talk about the stars of the book…can you introduce us to Samara and Seraphina?

Samara and Seraphina are identical twins but that’s where their similarities end. Samara is brave but impulsive, who took the first opportunity to leave her island home for a life on the seas. After the pirate captain she served left her stranded and broken-hearted, she’s back in the Majestic Isles trying to scrape together a new life.

Seraphina chose a life of religion and service, committing herself to a life as a nun for the Order, the religious government of the Majestic Isles. She would love nothing more than to keep her nose in the books and spread the light and love.

What I love about their relationship is that they learn to love each other for who they are and not in spite of who they are. It’s an amazing thing to watch unfold.

I adored their relationship too!! I have such a soft spot for sister stories (I have 4 sisters of my own!!) and Samara and Seraphina are the bessst 😍 A sneaky question now … 👀 Can you give us a sneak peek on what you’re working on next?

I’m in the second round of developmental edits for The Spell Keeper, the third book in the series. After the events of The Secret Library, the 2nd book in the series that was released this past April, the gang from both books are all back together. They’re in a new land where they have to work with a new set of heroes to defeat evil monsters and the sorceress controlling them. This book is so much fun because I finally get to have a story that’s very Avenger’s-like in style and action.

We are so looking forward to it!! Would you rather spend a day in Samara and Seraphina’s world…or bring them into our modern world for a day?

Oh I would LOVE to spend a day in Samara and Seraphina’s world! The island realm is heavily inspired by Santorini, Greece and it’s just absolutely breathtaking. Plus, I get to play on a pirate ship — and who wouldn’t want to do that for a day?

I absolutely would choose to be a pirate for a day too 😂 And lastly! Was any chocolate harmed in the making of this novel? 😉

No chocolate, but many slices of cheesecake have lost their lives during the making of the story! LOL

Cheesecake is the best anyway so I highly approve. So lovely to have you, MJ, and learn more behind-the-scenes details about Macario’s Scepter!! Good luck with writing book 3!! 😍

Enter the Rafflecopter below to win a hardcover of Macario’s Scepter via Book Depository! This is open internationally & it ends on August 4th, 2021 at 11:59pm EST.

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MTMC TOURS Schedule

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2021 Mid Year Book Freak-Out Tag (Wherein I Have Read A Lot And Yet Nothing)

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We’re halfway through the year and I have read a lot and also nothing!!

I never understand how this works 😪 Apparently if you read 1 book and add 3 to your TBR pile, it will, in fact, never go down. Trying to ignore this. I am a bit late with this tag as it’s already July, but always excited to do a bit of a mid-year-recap!

So far for me, 2021 has been more dedicated to writing. I’m always disappointed when I don’t read as much as I used to. (Cannot fathom the year I read 300+ books. Who was that. WHO.) But at the same time, I’m fiercely proud of the writing I’ve been doing lately. I’ve written over 200,000 words so far this year (estimating) and am having a small lull for July to catch up on reading.

I always feel I should apologise for the way my blog slid. But it is what it is, and writing + managing health issues is a lot, plus I just use instagram as my micro-blog anyway. Do join me over there. Many memes, much explosions of obsessive book love. And I do have exciting reviews coming up for Paper Fury here soon too so keep an eye out.

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Open Here To Grab The Tag Questions For Your Own Blog
Note: I’ve used a few different ones and made up some haha. But these are the original questions:

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2019
2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019
3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
5. Biggest disappointment
6. Biggest surprise
7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)
8. Newest fictional crush
9. Newest favorite character
10. Book that made you cry
11. Book that made you happy
12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
13.What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
14. Favorite book community member

1. HOW MUCH HAVE YOU READ?

This time last year I’d already read 100 so 🥺 missing those days of reading hard and fast. But I am stressing less about reading and THAT I enjoy.

2. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN READING?

This is a question I add in each year for an excuse to make pie charts. I do love pie (who doesn’t?!).

Okay so my star-ratings are not GREAT and I feel a bit sheepish here 😂I don’t actually do public star-ratings unless it’s 4 or 5 these days, so these are just recorded on my spreadsheet. Basically only 47% of my reeds have been good (I consider 3 a meh rating) which is a statistic that is a solid yikes. As for my genres, I pretty consistently favour contemporary (and contemporary fantasy) so this isn’t a surprise.

3. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020

I have literally only had ten 5-star ratings; and most were rereads so 💀👌🏻again we are improving that later. But I’ve already reread These Violent Delights TWICE and I’m dying. It is so downright phenomenal that it has wrecked my life.

 4. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020

The Theft of Sunlight was incredible. I thad the thoughtful political and social commentary that I crave from YA fantasy (and sadly rarely get 😪) coupled with gorgeous prose and dimensional characters. Such an underrated series truly. I also really appreciate Rebecca Westscott & Libby Scott’s autistic middle-grade contemporary series. It is the BEST and absolutely captures the heart of what it is to be autistic.

5. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

Was just laughing as I looked at least year’s list for this question and I still haven’t read a single one. Let me lay down softly and weep. For this year I will say…

6. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

I am most thoroughly dying for Summer Sons. Like if I could only have ONE more book in 2021, it would be this. But also the others too because I want all the books and cannot be stopped.

7. Out of Your Comfort Zone

I technically haven’t finished A Little Life buuuuut…it’s an adult literary novel so that’s definitely out of my comfort zone. (Cannot say I’m “enjoying” it but it is deeply, deeply affecting me.) Also Winter’s Orbit! I rarely read adult sci-fi but I adored this one.

8. Biggest surprise

Maybe Rain City Lights because this book absolutely hit me in the guts and I loved it (as well as suffered for it 😭) and it’s super underrated so please pick up a copy!!

I also adored Lifestyles of Gods & Monsters which is a super bizarre modern Ariadne and the Minotaur retelling, and it got me so emotional!!

9. New Favourite author (debut or new to you)

Into The Heartless Wood came out of nowhere for me and I just ADORED it with my whole soul!! I listened to an audio and never wanted to turn it off (also the narrator was so peaceful). It’s almost a cozy fantasy, but also feral tree girls who eat hearts and soft boys who bake. 🥺Ghostwood Song is a southern lowkey horror about grief and ghosts and heavily features a fiddle and messy family relationships and it was just excellent. The Boy From The Mish is such a heartfelt and beautiful story of an indigenous teen coming out and fitting being gay in with his culture. Tweet Cute was just so so CUTE, like downright funny and adorable.

 

10. underrated gems you’ve discovered recently

Tap through for my reviews on these but they’re AMAZING and I want everyone to take notice of these perfect books. I’ve actually read more underrated than popular this year, and just fell in love with so many.

11. rereads this year

THE WAY I’VE REREAD THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS TWICE WITHIN 3 MONTHS THOUGH. I do need to do more rereads before the year ends because I miss prioritising them. I also reread a few first books with intentions of reading the sequels finally…can report I still have not read the sequels.

12. Book that made you cry

Will say These Violent Delights again just to suffer with myself. It didn’t make me cry, I suppose? Just my soul ached. I actually haven’t felt teary this year for anything. Getting tough in my old, old age. Although Heartstopper’s unconditional love themes always make me 🥺and Volume 4 was beyond perfect.

13. Book that made you happy

Tweet Cute for the levels of adorable!! And Roman and Jewel was also just one of those books that is so fun, you can’t help but smile. Also Social Queue! It’s not out yet but the it nailed the autistic experience with such finesse I just 😙👌🏻.

14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

Ariadne (UK edition) has stolen my heart!! But also Ghost Wood Song and Things That Grow were total cover buys and I do not regret it.

 

15. goals for the rest of the year

  • I am aiming for 150 reads and will probably overachieve a bit but not aiming for 200 this year. Less pressure 😩👌🏻
  • I would like to write another book! Maybe for NaNoWriMo, still?
  • Dreaming of hitting 90K on instagram but that one is a little far-fetched.
  • Read more ebooks and eARCs 🤨🙌🏻actually TRY for this and get my Netgalley ratio back up.
  • I’d like to have read all my books from book boxes by the time 2021 ends.
  • Challenge myself to pick up more adult books because I’m really enjoying them this year for some reason. Probably because of all my white hair.

| What about you? |

time to tell me all your half-yearly news!! are you behind or on track with your Goodreads goal? what have been your highlight reads of 2021 so far? have you done any writing?

 

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

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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!)!

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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