06/04/2018
Ciara, a princess with the ability to control the minds and actions of others, aligns herself with her enemy, a Northman named Leif, to save their world from fantastical creatures bent on its destruction. Throughout their journey, Pagan beliefs and Norse gods clash. Ciara becomes an outcast banished from her kingdom, and the initially glaring differences between her and Leif soften as they find more rare similarities to bind them. Elements of the “star-crossed lovers” trope renders their bond unsurprising, and moments of lust paired with carnage—such as a first kiss shared while they’re burning corpses on a funeral pyre—can be off-putting. Faerie magic and an army of the dead help to enliven the story, and Ciara proves to be a formidable warrior in her own right, with or without her love by her side. In her YA debut, Leake creates a strong backdrop of fantasy and myth, and she draws on her background as a psychotherapist to instill her characters with a rich vitality. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (Apr.)
We’re closing out another year of fabulous YA lit, full of breakout debuts, devastating contemporary, series starters that left us breathless, mega huggable romcoms, intoxicating fantasy visions, and more more more! Here are fifty of the YA books we can’t/won’t/don’t stop talking about in 2018.
There is so much to love about April’s YA books—especially because so many of them are about love, both queer and straight. Whether you prefer fantasy quests, realistic contemporary dramas, rom-coms, or historical fiction (the 1990s!), you’re certain to find the perfect spring read to make your heart pound from excitement, mystery, and feels.
This week in YA is a bonanza for fans of fairy-tale mashups, true crime retellings, and historical fantasy, especially if you like stories focused on sibling relationships and complex friendships. Contemporary realism lovers are covered as well, with dynamic duo Rachel Cohn and David Levithan releasing a fresh collaboration, and Jason Reynolds offering up a book-length […]
Anticipating new fantasy novels is one of my favorite activities, right behind reading them. The first half of 2018 offers up a dragon’s hoard’s worth of tantalizing new fantasy landscapes, set in epic otherworlds, reimagined Earths, and a few familiar places we can’t wait to revisit. Holly Black returns to Faerie; Tomi Ayedemi delves into […]