What Buzzworthy Books is everyone talking about this Winter?
Check out our favorites listed below! Plus enter to win the giveaway where you could win them all!
From Emi Battaglia Public Relations:
Title: Karma of the Sun
Author: Brandon Ying Kit Boey
Publisher: CamCat Books
Release Date: January 17, 2023
In an imagined future of the earth’s last days, a young Tibetan Sherpa hunts for his missing father in the ruined nuclear winterland of the Himalayas, racing against a final calamity that threatens to destroy all humanity.
“Beautiful, moving, vast in its spiritual and emotional scope, I was reminded in parts of Kevin Brockmeier’s Brief History of the Dead, and David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas.” —Angela Mi Young Hur, author of Folklorn, NYT Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novel of 2021
Six suns, six blasts in the sky; a seventh one, and the earth will die.
In the isolation of the Himalayas, the snows still fall, but they are tinged with the ash of a nuclear winter; the winds still blow, but they wail with the cries of ghosts. The seventh and final blast is near. As the world heaves its final breaths, the people of the Tibetan plateau—civilization’s final survivors—are haunted by spirits and terrorized by warlords. Though the last of the seven prophesied cataclysms is at hand, young Karma searches for a father who disappeared ten years earlier, presumed dead.
Driven by a yearning to see his father again before the end, and called by an eerie horn unheard by anyone else, Karma forges into the Himalayas and discovers that his father’s disappearance may be linked to a mystical mountain said to connect the physical world with the spirit lands—and a possible way to save their doomed future.
For readers who enjoy Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The Book of M by Peng Shepherd, The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin, The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, and The Children of Men by P. D. James.
Title: Red Clay Suzie
Author: Jeffrey Dale Lofton
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Release Date: January 10, 2023
The coming-of-age story of Philbet, a gay, physically-misshapen boy in rural Georgia, who battles bullying, ignorance, and disdain as he makes his way in life as an outsider—before finding acceptance in unlikely places.
Red Clay Suzie is the coming-of-age story of a boy living in the Deep South, who struggles against suffocating expectations, heartless indifference, and wounding rejection. Ultimately, he finds inner strength from life lessons learned in Grandaddy’s garden and through his passion for Knox—the boy to whom he has given his heart—if only he can summon the courage to tell him.
From Penguin Random House:
Title: ANOTHER DIMENSION OF US
Author: Mike Albo
Publisher: Penguin Workshop / Penguin Young Readers
Release Date: 1/17/2023
Title: WHEN YOU WISH UPON A LANTERN
Author: Gloria Chao
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers / Penguin Young Readers
Release Date: 2/14/2023
From CamCat Publishing:
Author: Christian Klaver
Publisher: CamCat Books
Release Date: 12/6/2022
In the finale to the Empire of the House of Thorns series, Justice and her rag-tag fleet of misfits sail out to meet the Faerie Armada, and Justice’s conflict and confusion with her family comes to a heartbreaking head.
Captain Justice Kasric knows how complicated family can be. The escalating Human-Faerie war has scattered and wounded her siblings and transformed her parents beyond recognition. After narrowly escaping yet another dangerous clash, fifteen-year-old Justice has had enough. She’s determined to defeat the Black Shuck, the mysterious leader controlling the Faerie invasion of London, but if Justice hopes to stand a chance at victory, she’ll have to do the impossible: reunite her family and lead them against the looming Faerie Armada.
With her mother and brother at the helm of the enemy fleet, and the prophesized Seven Virtues slipping out of reach, Justice more than has her work cut out for her. Even if she can save England, the cost may be higher than she’s willing to pay.
Author: Dana Claire
Publisher: CamCat Books
Release Date: 2/7/2023
The Hunters—a monster hunting family—visit Falkville Falls when a slew of teachers are murdered. But things get complicated when Liam exposes Olivia to a world she never knew existed, and the walls to her heart come crashing down.
Liam Hunter has warded off hungry vampires, slayed monstrous beasts, and put agonized spirits to rest since he could hold a stake. When trouble comes through the Hunterland message board, alerting them that nurses are dying at high schools across Wisconsin in a string of fishy “suicides,” the Hunter family hits the road to save the day.
The trail leads to Falkville Falls, where Liam clashes with Olivia Davis, whose maddening family seems inexplicably embroiled in this haunting mess. Olivia has always mothered her little sister, Pepper. But when the Hunter family opens her eyes to the hidden underworld of real monsters prowling the dark, she realizes she can’t protect Pepper from this newest threat by herself. Can the two families work together to uncover who or what is responsible before the next murder, or will this vicious death cycle have no end?
Author: Jordan H. Bartlett
Publisher: CamCat Books
Release Date: 1/17/2023
When an unsettling event occurs in the Queendom of Frea, Jacs, an inventor’s apprentice from the Lower Realm, participates in the Contest of Queens to prove that a Queendom is strongest when united.
Jacs, an inventor’s apprentice from the Lower Realm, has only ever dreamed of what the land among the clouds holds. That is until she finds a letter from Connor, an Upperite boy hoping to learn more about the land below. Little does Jacs know, Connor is actually Prince Cornelius of the Queendom of Frea. With wooden boats and hot air balloons, the two begin a secret correspondence. But their friendship is divided by a heavily-guarded bridge and an inescapable prejudice.
The strength of their bond was thought to transcend distance and time, but when the royal family visits the Lower Realm, the Queendom’s feud is reignited.
To save her people, Jacs must infiltrate the Upper Realm and earn her place to compete in the Contest of Queens. In a story about friendship, love, bravery, and defying gravity, Jacs will strive to prove that a Queendom is strongest when united.
Title: 16 & Pregnant
Author: LaLa Thomas
Publisher: MTV Books
Release Date: 1/3/2023
“A powerful and timely exploration of two friends navigating a life-changing event.” —Angela Johnson, Michael L. Printz Award–winning author of The First Part Last
The bond between two best friends is put to the test when one of them gets pregnant in this contemporary teen novel inspired by MTV’s iconic reality show.
Erykah was looking forward to junior year at East Prep High. She has a cute boyfriend, gets good grades, and has the best bestie. Money is tight, though that’s nothing new in her world. But everything changes when she gets pregnant. Having a baby at sixteen was definitely not part of the plan.
Kelly’s plan was to dominate junior year—grade-wise and on the basketball court—and eventually get an athletic scholarship. It did not include helping her best friend through a pregnancy. But that’s what best friends do, right? Besides, Kelly has every intention of being a good auntie.
As the two girls navigate the pregnancy, they’ll learn some harsh realities about the world and be forced to make some huge decisions. They’ll also discover a deep reserve of strength and compassion…for each other and themselves.
16 & Pregnant: A Novel honestly and openly explores pregnancy through the eyes of two young Black teens in modern-day Nevada. Debut author LaLa Thomas combines personal insights, heartfelt dialogue, and authentic emotions in this powerful portrait of American teen life.
From Blackstone Publishing:
Title: Blood Circus
Author: Camila Victoire
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release date: 1/31/2023
In this lush and terrifying debut–perfect for readers of The Hunger Games and Children of Blood and Bone–Camila Victoire creates a future where cruelty and spectacle hold the keys to subjugating humans on a ravaged earth.
At the end of the twenty-first century, climate change and famine almost ended humanity–until the discovery of the Klujns, a barbaric, humanoid species with strangely colored eyes and even stranger abilities. Their crystal claws and bones fertilize barren soil, and their tender meat is a super-protein. Klujns are both humans’ saviors and natural-born enemies, meant to be hunted and used.
When sixteen-year-old Ava finds herself on the wrong side of a military fence erected to protect the North American Territory, she’s captured by Klujns and made to participate in the Blood Race, a macabre tradition where young human hostages compete to the death for Klujn amusement. At first, she is terrified, but as Ava observes Klujn behavior that contradicts what she’s learned, she begins to wonder: Are Klujns as different as she was led to believe? And, as she fights for her life, does it matter?
Inspired by four years on the road with a traveling circus, where the word itself embodies an entire culture built on dark spectacle, Camila Victoire delivers a twisted coming-of-age tale that combines elements of fantasy, magical realism, and suspense. Blood Circus will capture fans of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games and Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone. Its masterful worldbuilding, plot twists, and boundary-pushing Blood Race are wholly immersive–and compel readers to call their own long-held assumptions, values, and belief systems into question.
From Wattpad:
Just because you’re cursed doesn’t mean you’re not special.
“A lovely comic with a “cute” art style and a story that resonates with so many people. It reminds us all that we do not owe the world beauty, and that we do not have to be physically attractive to everyone in order to be loved for who we really are.” — Sequential Planet
“With its good humor and cute art, Cursed Princess Club is a delightful graphic novel. It delivers wholesome messages about friendship and community for its young adult audience that may well resonate with older readers too.” – Foreword Reviews
Ringo Award Nomination for Best Humor Webcomic
Jessica Cunsolo’s With Me series continues with Jason and Jackson Parker who are all grown up now and ready to follow in their brother Aiden’s footsteps.
Sisters Siena and Gia Amato have just moved to King City. On their first night in town, Siena is almost run over by the devastatingly handsome Jason Parker who’s trying to evade arrest after getting caught drag-racing by the police. While the circumstances of their meeting are less than ideal, Siena can’t deny the instant attraction she feels for him—even if it goes against every one of her “good girl” instincts. When a classmate goes missing and Siena’s life is endangered, she and Jason are thrust together. Suddenly, the stakes are even higher, and more than their hearts are on the line.
Jessica Cunsolo’s trademark blend of romance and mystery will appeal to fans of Aiden and Amelia’s story as well as new readers.
The highly anticipated sequel to The Last She, which Goodreads has included in its Most Anticipated Young Adult Novels of December 2021
The first rule of living through the apocalypse. Trust no one.
Ara
Is desperate to reunite with her father and put the events that happened in Boise behind her. Ara hopes to find sanctuary in The Last City, an almost-mythical place where the plague is nonexistent and she can finally discover the truth about her family. Once she arrives, she discovers the truth is stranger than fiction, and Ara wonders if she’s made a huge mistake . . .
Kaden
Will go anywhere for Ara, will do anything, but he’s tested to his limits in The Last City. Forced to join a dangerous expedition, Kaden soon finds himself separated from Ara and, once again, on the run for his life. He barely escaped alive, and now he needs to risk it all again to find Ara in The Last City . . .
Sam
Has hooked up a rigged electrical system, blasting away the silence with music, feeling almost normal since he nearly lost his life. He doesn’t know where Kaden and Ara are, and when he meets a mysterious girl named E, they embark on an adventure that will bring all of their lives clashing together . . .
The first rule of living through the apocalypse. Trust no one.All three must uncover the secrets of The Last City if they have any hope of getting out of this apocalypse alive.
“Time after time I come back to this cold brick door. Sealed, as it has been for over a year now, as I know it must remain forever. I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself. I know I can never open the door to Yesterday again. I can never have Kieren back. Never talk to Brady about the things we saw under the lake all those months ago. And never tell my brother Robbie how my heart broke every day that he was trapped in the abyss lurking behind those immovable bricks.
Maybe I come to this room the way some people visit gravestones. The three doors are all I have left of my loved ones now. The rough, hard rectangles and their merciless mortar, staring back at me. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
And me in the waiting room.
To open any of these doors is to open a pathway to death. I know this. And yet, they call to me.”
Eighteen months have passed since Marina O’Connell first discovered the doors, and her life changed forever. She’s a senior now. And she’s living in a plane of reality with her stepmom and her dad, while Robbie and her mom are in Oregon. She and her best friend Christy are making plans for college. They’re crushing on Mr. Martel, the new history teacher. He’s young enough to inspire them to take the subject seriously, but there’s more to him than good looks. He isn’t who he seems, and when he confronts Marina with the secret they both share, she realizes that she can’t, or won’t, turn away from the doors that have been calling out to her for months.
From Scholastic:
Title: Nick and Charlie: A Heartstopper Novella
Author: Alice Oseman
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Release Date: January 03, 2023
From the mega-bestselling creator of Heartstopper, a must-have novella in which Heartstopper’s lead characters, Nick and Charlie, face one of their biggest challenges yet.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder… right?
Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie love their nearly inseparable life together. But soon Nick will be leaving for university, and Charlie, a year younger, will be left behind. Everyone’s asking if they’re staying together, which is a stupid question… or at least that’s what Nick and Charlie assume at first.
As the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie start to question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Charlie is sure he’s holding Nick back… and Nick can’t tell what Charlie’s thinking.
Things spiral from there.
Everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever. What will it take for Nick and Charlie to defy the odds?
Title: This Time It’s Real
Author: Ann Liang
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: February 07, 2023
Get ready to fall in love in this hilarious romcom about a girl who begins a fake relationship with the famous actor in her class, perfect for fans of Meg Cabot and Jenny Han.
When seventeen-year-old Eliza Lin’s essay about meeting the love of her life unexpectedly goes viral, her entire life changes overnight. Now she has the approval of her classmates at her new international school in Beijing, a career-launching internship opportunity at her favorite magazine…and a massive secret to keep.
Eliza made her essay up. She’s never been in a relationship before, let alone in love. All good writing is lying, right?
Desperate to hide the truth, Eliza strikes a deal with the famous actor in her class, the charming but aloof Caz Song. She’ll help him write his college applications if he poses as her boyfriend. Caz is a dream boyfriend — he passes handwritten notes to her in class, makes her little sister laugh, and takes her out on motorcycle rides to the best snack stalls around the city.
But when her relationship with Caz starts feeling a little too convincing, all of Eliza’s carefully laid plans are threatened. Can she still follow her dreams if it means breaking her ow
Title: Rebel of Fire and Flight
Author: Aneesa Marufu
Publisher: Chicken House
Release Date: January 03, 2023
This is the story of sixteen-year-old Khadija, who flees her home in a stolen hot air balloon to escape life in an arranged marriage. A deeply relevant, commercial fantasy adventure by an enthralling new talent, exploring prejudice, the deep roots of hatred, and the reality of the world that this heroine hopes to save.
Khadija loves the ancient tales of jinn and renegade princesses… but real life is closing in and her destiny as a ghadæan girl is marriage and boredom. When her father arranges a match, Khadija leaps at the chance of escape – a rogue hot air balloon fighting its ropes for the sky. Soon, Khadija is flying over the desert sands, away from everything she knows.Khadija finds an unlikely ally in a poor young glassmaker’s apprentice, Jacob.
But soon, a deadly revolution threatens their friendship and their world. The oppressed, pale-skinned hāri are restless – their infamous terrorist group, the Hāreef, have a new, fearsome leader. And the ruling ghadæans are brutal in their repression. As the Hāreef exploit forbidden magic – summoning jinn to aid their fight – Jacob and Khadija must choose what kind of a world they want to live in and how to make it a reality.
~GIVEAWAY~
One winner will receive a copy of each title from the Mega Book Giveaway (YA)! ~US ONLY
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
i’ve been anticipating many books in this giveaway for a while! thank you for the chance to win them!
The one that stands out the most to me is The Last City!
they all look so interesting
I would love to read and share these with my middle school students!
SO many are on my list. But I am really excited for Cursed Princess CLub.
Wow so many great books, they all look amazing!
Blood Circus has the cover that grabbed my attention the most!
Holy Moly! They all look so good! The one that is yelling at me is Blood Circus! Or maybe the Last City… or Armadas of the Mist… or… ! So many of them I want to add to my Reading List!
There is not a book in this list that I don’t want to read.
These all look fantastic!
This would be amazing to win!
So many books I was interested in on here and some I’d never heard of but now I’m excited for!
What a great selection of books!
these books look good