WHAT’S NEW IN YA?

DECEMBER 7, 2021

 

 

Out of the Fire (Andrea Contos)

• Publisher: ‎ Scholastic Press (December 7, 2021)
• Reading age: ‎ 13 years and up
• Grade level: ‎ 8 and up

Sadie meets One of Us is Lying in a mind-blowingly twisty, feminist thriller that will grab you from the very first page and keep your heart pounding until the shocking conclusion.

We were like fire, the four of us. Catching each other’s sparks until the flames grew, spread, raged beyond our control.

We’ll give them back the damage they left us with, burden them with the weight of our pain.

We may be temporarily broken, but we will leave them forever charred.

Ashes to ashes.

It wasn’t the kidnapping that ruined Cass Adams’s life. It was the letters that came after. The pink envelopes that appear in her car, her locker, her bedroom. Notes from the man she escaped, telling her that he’s always there, always watching.

And that someday, he’ll be back for her.

The police say there’s nothing they can do, and Cass resigns herself to live in fear until she reconnects with three old friends-three girls ready to exact vengeance on those who wronged them.

But the deeper Cass digs, the more shocking the truth becomes, especially when she discovers that the person who ruined her life may be the only one who can save it. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Unraveling of Luna Forester: The Tiktok sensation! (Marisa Noelle)

• Publisher: ‎ Question Mark Press (December 9, 2021)

MATTHEW HAS ALWAYS PROTECTED LUNA’S SECRET.

NOW HE MUST PROTECT HER LIFE.

When his best friend Luna is found catatonic after a devastating house fire, Matthew begins to fall apart.

“Take care of them, Matthew.”

“Always.”

“Protect my secret.”

“Of course.”

That’s the promise he made to her only three nights ago. A solemn vow to protect their large found family of humans and supernatural creatures alike.

Fated to love her for the rest of his life, and unwilling to break his solemn vow, Matthew knows the only person who can help Luna is her grandmother. Through the woods they must go, just like a fairytale. But the forest is filled with deadly peril: poisonous black moss, chimeras, and worst of all, members of their family who don’t want them to continue.

As they are picked off one by one, Matthew races to get Luna to safety, all the time doubting everything he thought was true.

Can Matthew untangle the twisted threads of Luna’s secret before he himself unravels?

A dark fantasy horror with Little Red Ridinghood undertones, perfect for fans of Last House on Needle Street (Catriona Ward), Split (J.B. Salsbury), Legion (Brandon Sanderson), Pretty Girl 13 (Liz Coley), The Quiet at the End of the World (Lauren James), Primal Fear (William Diehl), & Tell me your Dreams (Sydney Sheldon).

 

 

 

 

 

The Righteous (The Beautiful #3) (Renée Ahdieh)

• Publisher: ‎ G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (December 7, 2021)
• Reading age: ‎ 12 – 17 years
• Grade level: ‎ 7 – 9

In this latest installment of The New York Times bestselling series that began with The Beautiful, Pippa journeys to the treacherous and beguiling world of the fey in search of answers only to fall in love.

Following the explosive events of The Damned, Odette faces a vampire’s final death. The Court of the Lions have done everything they can to save her but have failed. A healer from the Sylvan Vale could help her, but only Arjun Desai, as a half fey, can cross the boundary between realms. The Sylvan Vale is a world Arjun despises, and in return, it despises him. But knowing it could save Odette, he returns to the Vale with all haste, leaving the mirrored tare between the two worlds open and unwittingly setting the stage for both love and war.

It’s mere days until Pippa Montrose is to wed Phoebus Devereux and become a member of his well-heeled family, offering salvation to her own. But Celine is missing. Pippa has no idea where her best friend has gone, but she’s certain it’s in the company of vampire Sébastien Saint Germain and that Arjun can lead her to them. Pippa enjoins the help of Eloise, the daughter of a powerful sorceress, to discover the gateway Arjun uses to travel between worlds. Pippa, tired of hesitating in life, marches right through in search of her friend. But what she discovers on the other side is a dangerous, duplicitous world full of mischief and magic she doesn’t understand, and most unexpectedly, she finds love.

Author of the New York Times bestselling duology The Wrath & The Dawn, Renée Ahdieh is back. The Righteous is the can’t-miss lead in to what will be a much-anticipated finale of a can’t miss quartet. 

 

 

 

 

If This Gets Out (Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich)

• Publisher: ‎ Wednesday Books (December 7, 2021)
• Reading age: ‎ 13 – 18 years
• Grade level: ‎ 7 – 9

Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America. Along with their bandmates, Angel Phan and Jon Braxton, the four are teen heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, cracks are starting to form: their once-easy rapport is straining under the pressures of fame, and Ruben confides in Zach that he’s feeling smothered by management’s pressure to stay in the closet.

On a whirlwind tour through Europe, with both an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, Ruben and Zach come to rely on each other more and more, and their already close friendship evolves into a romance. But when they decide they’re ready to tell their fans and live freely, Zach and Ruben start to truly realize that they will never have the support of their management. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?

“If This Gets Out is an absolute showstopper! Equal parts edgy and adorable, this bright, joyful book has everything I look for in a queer YA romance.” —Phil Stamper, bestselling author of The Gravity of Us 

 

 

The Excalibur Curse(Camelot Rising #3) (Kiersten White)

• Publisher: ‎ Delacorte Press (December 7, 2021)
• Reading age: ‎ 12 – 17 years
• Lexile measure: ‎ HL700L
• Grade level: ‎ 7 – 9

The gripping conclusion to the acclaimed Arthurian fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White finds Guinevere questioning everything—friends and enemies, good and evil, and, most of all, herself.

While journeying north toward the Dark Queen, Guinevere falls into the hands of her enemies. Behind her are Lancelot, trapped on the other side of the magical barrier they created to protect Camelot, and Arthur, who has been led away from his kingdom, chasing after false promises. But the greatest danger isn’t what lies ahead of Guinevere—it’s what’s been buried inside her.

Vowing to unravel the truth of her past with or without Merlin’s help, Guinevere joins forces with the sorceress Morgana and her son, Mordred—and faces the confusing, forbidden feelings she still harbors for him. When Guinevere makes an agonizing discovery about who she is and how she came to be, she finds herself with an impossible choice: fix a terrible crime, or help prevent war.

Guinevere is determined to set things right, whatever the cost. To defeat a rising evil. To remake a kingdom. To undo the mistakes of the past…even if it means destroying herself.

Guinevere has been a changeling, a witch, a queen—but what does it mean to be just a girl?

 

 

 

Heart of the Impaler (Alexander Delacroix)

• Publisher: ‎ Swoon Reads (December 7, 2021)
• Reading age: ‎ 13 – 18 years
• Grade level: ‎ 7 – 9

In this dark, historical YA debut, two young men—one scarred and dutiful, the other wickedly magnetic—fall for the same young woman. But is it safe for her to love either of them back?

Ilona Csáki has no desire to marry the voivode’s eldest son, but love and marriage are the least of her worries.

The royal family’s enemies have already tried to put an arrow through her back—and if anyone discovers her blossoming feelings for her betrothed’s cousin Andrei, and younger brother, Vlad, she may just wish they’d succeeded.

Beneath the shadow of impending war, the only battle that will be deadlier than the one for Ilona’s life will be the one for her heart.

Alexander Delacroix’s darkly romantic debut is perfect for fans of Kiersten White’s And I Darken and Emily A. Duncan’s Wicked Saints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Coldest Touch (Isabel Sterling)

 

• Publisher: ‎ Razorbill (December 7, 2021)
• Reading age: ‎ 12 – 17 years
• Grade level: ‎ 7 – 9

Elise Beaumont is cursed. With every touch, she experiences exactly how her loved ones will die. And after her brother’s death—a death she predicted but was unable to prevent—Elise is desperate to get rid of her terrible gift, no matter the cost.

Claire Montgomery also has a unique relationship with death, mostly because she’s already dead. Technically, anyway. Claire is a vampire, and she’s been assigned by the Veil to help Elise master her rare Death Oracle powers.

At first, Elise is reluctant to work with a vampire, but when she predicts a teacher’s imminent murder, she’s determined to stop the violent death, even if it means sacrificing her own future to secure Claire’s help.

The trouble is, Claire and Elise aren’t the only paranormals in town—a killer is stalking the streets, and Claire can’t seem to shake the pull she feels toward Elise, a romance that could upend the Veil’s mission. But as Elise and Claire grow closer, Elise begins to wonder—can she really trust someone tasked with securing her loyalty? Someone who could so easily kill her? Someone who might hold the key to unraveling her brother’s mysterious death? 

 

 

 

 

 

Fools In Love: Fresh Twists on Romantic Tales (Ed. Ashley Herring Blake & Rebecca Podos)

• Publisher: ‎ Running Press Kids (December 7, 2021)
• Reading age: ‎ 13 years and up
• Grade level: ‎ 8 and up

Join fifteen bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming authors as they reimagine some of the most popular tropes in the romance genre.

Fake relationships. Enemies to lovers. Love triangles and best friends, mistaken identities and missed connections. This collection of genre-bending and original stories celebrates how love always finds a way, featuring powerful flora, a superhero and his nemesis, a fantastical sled race through snow-capped mountains, a golf tournament, the wrong ride-share, and even the end of the world. With stories written by Rebecca Barrow, Ashley Herring Blake, Gloria Chao, Mason Deaver, Sara Farizan, Claire Kann, Malinda Lo, Hannah Moskowitz, Natasha Ngan, Rebecca Podos, Lilliam Rivera, Laura Silverman, Amy Spalding, Rebecca Kim Wells, and Julian Winters this collection is sure to sweep you off your feet.

 

 

 

 

 

No Beauties or Monsters (Tara Goedjen)

 

• Publisher: ‎ Delacorte Press (December 7, 2021)
• Reading age: ‎ 12 – 17 years
• Lexile measure: ‎ HL690L
• Grade level: ‎ 7 – 9

A mystery about a girl whose family secrets are as threatening as the desert that surrounds her—but whose quest to expose the truth may tear apart reality itself.

Rylie hasn’t been back to Twentynine Palms since her dad died. She left a lot of memories out there, buried in the sand of the Mojave Desert. Memories about her dad, her old friends Nathan and Lily, and most of all, her enigmatic grandfather, a man who cut ties with Rylie’s family before he passed away. But her mom’s new work assignment means their family has to move, and now Rylie’s in the one place she never wanted to return to, living in the house of a grandfather she barely knew.

At least her old friends are happy to welcome her home. Well, some of them, anyway. Lily is gone, vanished into the desert. And Twentynine Palms is so much stranger than Rylie remembers. There are whispers around town of a mysterious killer on the loose, but it isn’t just Twentynine Palms that feels off—there’s something wrong with Rylie, too. She’s seeing things she can’t explain. Visions of monstrous creatures that stalk the night.

Somehow, it all seems to be tied to her grandfather and the family cabin he left behind. Rylie wants the truth, but she doesn’t know if she can trust herself. Are the monsters in her head really out there? Or could it be that the deadliest thing in the desert . . . is Rylie herself?

 

 

 

 

 

The Big Reveal (Jen Larsen)

 

• Publisher: ‎ Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (December 7, 2021)
• Reading age: ‎ 14 – 18 years
• Grade level: ‎ 10 – 12

A dazzling YA novel about a girl who isn’t afraid to be big and sexy and dance her heart out, and a discussion-provoking exploration of the mixed messages our society gives young women about their bodies and sexuality.

Addie is a talented dancer, a true-blue friend, fat, fierce, and driven. When she’s accepted into the prestigious dance program of her dreams, she thinks nothing can bring her down—until she realizes she doesn’t have enough money to go. Refusing to give up, Addie and her friends decide to put on a top-secret, invitation-only burlesque show to raise funds. But word soon gets out, and the slut- and body-shaming begin. Has Addie been resisting the patriarchy, or playing right into its hands?

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Mathieu and E. Lockhart, The Big Reveal asks hard-hitting feminist questions while reveling in some of life’s greatest joys: chasing your passions, falling in love, and embracing yourself exactly as you are.

 

 

 

The Upper World (Femi Fadugba)

• Publisher: ‎ HarperTeen (December 7, 2021)

If you had the chance to change your future, would you take it?

Perfect for fans of Neal Shusterman and Jason Reynolds, this powerhouse, mind-bending YA debut follows two teens, a generation apart, whose fates collide across time—and outside of it.

Today

During arguably the worst week of Esso’s life, an accident knocks him into an incredible world—a place beyond space or time, where he can see glimpses of the past and future. But if what he sees there is true, he might not have much longer to live, unless he can use his new gift to change the course of history.

Tomorrow

Rhia’s past is filled with questions, none of which she expects a new physics tutor to answer. But Dr. Esso’s not here to help Rhia. He’s here because he needs her help—to unravel a tragedy that happened fifteen years ago. One that holds the key not only to Rhia’s past, but to a future worth fighting for.

Soon to be a major Netflix movie starring Oscar-nominated Daniel Kaluuya! (Get Out, Black Panther, Judas and the Black Messiah)