Dual release young adult books–that is, books that publish in both hardcover and paperback at the same time–have been growing in numbers over the last year. There are two new dual releases this week, and more of this will be coming down the pike, too. Having a choice in the format you purchase a book is great, and for teen readers especially, the option to buy a less expensive paperback makes these books more financially accessible. In an era when we’re seeing an increase in special-edition hardcovers, it’s sure nice to see that some publishers are recognizing the value of offering options from the get-go.
It’s a fantastic week in new YA book releases for readers who love to be scared, too. There are several horror novels and thrillers that border on horror hitting shelves. But readers who aren’t into horror and/or want to expand beyond horror are in for plenty of treats, too–romance, fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction are arriving as well, both from new authors and those who’ve made a name for themselves in the YA world already. You’ll even find a holiday-themed story or two already this week.
As we shift into cooler days and longer nights in the northern hemisphere, there’s no better time to add to your reading stack.
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New Hardcover YA Releases This WeekA Dangerous Bargain by Erin Cotter
Set in Florence during the Italian Renaissance, the story follows 17-year-old Virgil, who is an artist. He’s found himself needing to raise funds to support his family and to continue his work as an artist, so in desperation, he bargained his life away to an angel. That only seemed to make things worse, as now his missing brother is in danger, and magic is the only method by which he’ll survive.
Virgil’s life will end in a matter of months, and he knows he needs to do something, even if it means teaming up with Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo is annoying in all possible ways, but together, Virgil and Leonardo will work together to unearth the secrets beneath the streets of Florence.
But things go from hard to harder as those with power in the city desperately try to stop the duo from exposing the truth. It doesn’t help that Virgil and Leonard are falling hard for one another, and Virgil’s life is getting shorter and shorter.
Death in Verse by Julie Lew
Bronte Cade’s mother has disappeared. She’s left a clue to her whereabouts, though, in the form of an invitation to a retreat for magical poets. Bronte realizes she has an opportunity to find answers about her mother’s whereabouts, so she decides to attend, posing as her mother.
When Bronte arrives, though, the island where the retreat is being held is mostly abandoned. There are six other confused poets there, a line of a poem that’s left unfinished, and an anonymous host who informs the guests that they need to complete the spell to be allowed to leave . . . and to live.
Among the many problems here is that Bronte isn’t magical. But the stakes are high, the body count is growing, and she’s no closer to learning what happened to her mother. Bronte teams up with another poet, Marlowe Frang, to figure out who the anonymous host is. Bronte’s got to keep up her facade, and she has to face the reality that it’s not just the host who is sinister.
The whole island is wracked with secrets and darkness.
Lew’s novel will be released simultaneously in hardcover and in paperback.
Foreigners by E. L. Shen
I love an intergenerational story, and this one’s getting comparisons to Pachinko and to Last Night at the Telegraph Club.
The Chin family has a long history of keeping secrets. Starting in 1878, Duanfang sees his life as one of greatness. One of the things he does to protect his Manchu family is to hide his past as he grows and builds his own legacy.
Then in 1965, Zheng Yi makes the journey from Taiwan to New York City to attend college. It’s a world wildly different from the one she grew up in, and she worries that she’s taken on more than she can handle. But then she makes a decision that completely upends her life and her future.
Now, Dawn Chin understands that her family has high expectations of everyone and a practice of silence about their own legacy. But when Dawn has a class assignment to conduct an interview and speaks with her grandmother, generations of family secrets are suddenly exposed.
To Our Untamed Core by Sonido Reyes
Temo follows the decrees of the Holy Order, which came to power over the Afueras centuries ago. The sacraments Temo follows are forced upon him to suppress a “violent nature.”
But as much as Temo follows the rules, he’s breaking one key rule. He won’t let the Holy Order know that he’s trans because if they knew, he’d face El Torneo. El Torneo is a death battle held between those known to be violent, and no one of Afueras heritage has ever won.
When Temo’s boyfriend is tossed into El Torneo, though, Temo will do anything to save him. He’s now faced with the reality he may die trying to save Ollin–including learning that there’s far more to this death match than he ever imagined.
The pitch for this one is The Hunger Games meets The Sunbearer Trials.
Hardcover YA Series Releases This Week:
- Empire by Sabaa Tahir-the highly-anticipated sequel to Heir
- A Mirror of Infinite Endings by Stephanie Garber–a companion to the Once Upon a Broken Heart series
More Hardcover YA Releases This Week:
- All The Way Home by Alex Ritany–a queer holiday rom-com
- Demonology for Overachievers by Lily Anderson–a high schooler strikes a bargain with the devil for a scholarship, only to learn that her biggest rival may have struck the same deal.
- Don’t Print This by Monica Chin–a queer mystery
- Hearts on the Table by Susan Metallo–a twist on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
As always, you may need to toggle your view to see the paperback edition.
King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin
Pernell is once again sentenced to summer school. It’s the third year in a row, and it’s more pressing than ever that he does well. And while Pernell knows that’s important, his real goal this summer is to become the Cypher King, the person who leads the lunchroom rap circles. It’s the time in his day when he feels most himself and a title he knows he’s ready to take on.
Outside the lunchroom, though, things are tough. Pernell’s teacher doesn’t like him, and his parents want him to get more help for his ADHD. It isn’t helping that his best friend is spending the summer chasing her dreams and isn’t around as much as he wishes.
But as Pernell pours more of himself into becoming and retaining the title of Cypher King, the more he learns about the power of how his mind works–and how he can harness that to graduate high school.
Showstopper by Lily Anderson
Faye loves the annual Ghostlight Youth Theater Camp, even if it’s not particularly good. Now in her final year, she’s eager to pursue a lead role in the monthlong intensive, letting herself be her full Afro-Latina self rather than continuing to take on white-passing roles.
But as she makes her way into the spotlight, she finds a lot of complicating things. There’s competition with her bestie. There’s a cute new camper she’s distracted by. Oh, and there’s a dead body or two.
Faye is determined to make her final year her most memorable, but it might not be for her performance. It might be because of all the secrets oozing from every corner of the camp.
(S)kin by Ibi Zoboi
This is a novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore, following 15-year-old Marisol, who is the daughter of a soucouyant. When the new moon arrives each month, Marisol sheds her skin and turns into a fireball, launched into the sky where she must sip from other people’s lives to sustain her own. That is really difficult in Brooklyn, where it seems the lights never dim and folks keep themselves locked inside at night. Marisol wishes she didn’t need to do this, but her mother kept her tied to their magical past.
Genevieve, 17, is dealing with a skin condition that, in addition to her new baby siblings, keeps her up all night long. There’s a hunger inside her that wants nothing more than to recall her estranged mother. But it’ll be a new nanny in her house who begins to show a link between Genevieve and Marisol, and it goes far more than skin-deep.
Paperback YA Series Releases This Week:
- Akarnae by Lynette Noni
- A Steeping of Blood by Hafsah Faizal
- Tastes Like Candy 2 by Jessica Lacy
More Paperback YA Releases This Week:
- The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum
- Insatiable by Erica Ridley
- Kill Your Darlings by Yuvashri Harish
- Lucy Kline: Necromancer by Tom O’Donnell
- Reasons to Hate Me by Susan Metallo
- A Season for Falling by Kate O’Shaughnessy – releasing simultaneously in paperback and in hardcover.