Kelly Jensen's Blog, page 7

Play That YA Song: 2021 Edition, Part II

Every year, I love highlighting a good YA earworm title. It’s a book title that either shares its exact name with a familiar song or a title that is so close to the title or chorus of a well-known bop that it gets stuck in your head each time you read the title. There were quite a few in the fall last year when I rounded up 2021 titles, but in the months since, even more 2021 YA book titles that are earworms have popped up.

Add these four YA books to your TBR/TBLT — that’s “to be listened to” — lists and enjoy a soundtrack to your reading life. Descriptions of the books come from Goodreads. Apologies in advance if you’re singing some of these for the next several days.

If you know of other 2021 titles that aren’t on this list or the linked list above, drop ’em below. Stick to this year’s, as I’m in the midst of compiling 2022’s for a late fall post.

 

Even More 2021 YA Book Titles That Are Song Titles

 

 

All The Lonely People by Jen Marie Hawkins

Let’s start it off with the Beatles, shall we? I saw this book cover while perusing 2021 releases and have now been singing “Eleanor Rigby” nonstop. The book is about a love for the Beatles and the grave of Eleanor Rigby, so the title is a perfect fit.

 

Book Description: When 17-year-old Jo Bryant lost her father three years ago, he began appearing to her in dreams, beckoning her to the grave of Eleanor Rigby. This isn’t the weird part, since he was the lead singer of an internationally acclaimed Beatles cover band. What’s weird is that she’s almost certain he isn’t really dead. Jo has long wondered about her father’s past and his mysterious death in a London hotel, but she can’t shake the feeling that something’s being kept from her. So when her mother offers to do a “kid swap” with a London friend, Jo leaps at the opportunity to go overseas for the summer, under the pretext of scoping out colleges.

Once in London, Jo meets Henry, a broody, Beatles-hating photographer who understands what it’s like to lose a parent. He gets on her last nerve, but he’s into an intriguing mix of quantum physics and pseudoscience. Soon, Jo realizes that Henry might have the key to finding her father. Armed with an atlas of Britain’s supernatural ley lines and a tenuous friendship, Jo and Henry set out to follow a breadcrumb trail to the grave, which just so happens to sit on one of the most powerful ley lines in Liverpool. But Henry’s family has dark secrets of their own, and the truths they must unravel could destroy who they thought their parents were, and what they’ve grown to mean to each other.

 

 

Spells Like Teen Spirit by Kate Williams

The third book in Williams’s “The Babysitter’s Coven” series, about witchy babysitters saving the world from evil before bedtime, is a fun play on the classic Nirvana jam. What maybe I love most is this series has had very ’90s covers to them, so the homage here only adds to the nostalgic, off-beat angle.

 

Book Description: Ever since Esme met Cassandra Heaven and discovered the truth about their shared legacy–that they’re Sitters, supernaturally-gifted teens tasked with protecting the innocent from evil–her life has been moving at 90 mph. During the day, she chases wild toddlers, and at night, she employs a different skill set for a different kind of demon. Like, literal ones. And sometimes, it’s almost fun. Her spells are getting better, her telekinesis is on point, and now that Esme’s dad and her best friend Janis know the truth, she’s no longer lying to the people she loves. She’s also learned that there’s a way to undo her mother’s curse, and with the Synod out of the picture, she might even have a chance to do it.

If she could just figure out how. But she can’t, and even with her mom living at home again, Esme can’t shake the feeling that she’s failing. Throw in the fact that Pig is still gone, Esme’s crush is also MIA, and that it’s cold, slushy February, and she’s in bummer city.

Esme needs a serious pick-me-up, and Janis has a plan: a Galentine’s stay-cation, with the Sitter friends Esme and Cassandra made at the Summit for a serious girls weekend. Except, things are getting weird in Spring River again. Esme and Cassandra just discovered a new band, and not in a good way: these guys reek of Red Magic, and their music sucks too. Trouble is brewing, and if Esme’s not careful, this show might be her last–and no one likes a one-hit wonder.

 

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdez

Without question, the title of Valdez’s book gets the song in my head immediately. But in addition to the song, I get images from the film The Wedding Singer going, too.

The book isn’t about that movie or the timeframe of that film. Instead, it’s set in the 80s and is a twist on Back to the Future.

Please marvel at this music video. It’s just….80s-tastic.

 

Book Description: 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.

 

 

We Can Be Heroes by Kyrie McCauley

“We Can Be Heroes” is the name of the podcast that plays a prominent role in McCauley’s sophomore novel. I don’t know from the description whether or not it’s an allusion to David Bowie and given the story’s heavy themes, about a group of girls trying to solve a mystery, and the genre braiding, I suspect it is. It makes sense once you see the music video.

 

Book Description: “Welcome to Bell, proud home of Bell Firearms for two hundred years, and where five months ago, the teen heir to the Bell fortune took his father’s guns to school and killed his ex-girlfriend, Cassandra Queen.” —WE CAN BE HEROES PODCAST

Beck and Vivian never could stand each other, but they always tried their best for their mutual friend, Cassie. After the town moves on from Cassie’s murder too fast, Beck and Vivian finally find common ground: vengeance. They memorialize Cassie by secretly painting murals of her around town, a message to the world that Cassie won’t be forgotten. But Beck and Vivian are keeping secrets, like the third passenger riding in Beck’s VW bus with them—Cassie’s ghost.

When their murals catch the attention of a podcaster covering Cassie’s case, they become the catalyst for a debate that Bell Firearms can no longer ignore. With law enforcement closing in on them, Beck and Vivian hurry to give Cassie the closure she needs—by delivering justice to those responsible for her death.

 

 

 

 

 

This Week at Book Riot

 

Over on Book Riot this week…

 

What would happen if you reframed how you thought about the books you read in data? In other words, if you only had 2,500 more books you could read in your life, what would you keep or ditch?

 

The ultimate guide to best teen books by age.

Debut YA Novels: July 2021

Ready to continue into summer with some new books by new authors? You’ll love the range of debut YA novels this July.

 

 

This round-up includes debut novels, where “debut” is in its purest definition. These are first-time books by first-time authors. I’m not including books by authors who are using or have used a pseudonym in the past or those who have written in other categories (adult, middle grade, etc.) in the past. Authors who have self-published are not included here either.

All descriptions are from Goodreads, unless otherwise noted. If I’m missing any debuts that came out in July from traditional publishers — and I should clarify that indie/small presses are okay — let me know in the comments.

As always, not all noted titles included here are necessarily endorsements for those titles. List is arranged alphabetically by title and publication month. Starred titles are the beginning of a new series.

 

Debut YA Novels: July 2021

 

After The Ink Dries by Cassie Gustafson

Sixteen-year-old Erica Walker is a webcomic artist who wants to fit in at her affluent new high school. Seventeen-year-old Thomas VanBrackel is an aspiring songwriter and reluctant lacrosse goalie who wants out from under his father’s thumb. After their electric first kiss at Saturday’s lacrosse match, Erica and Thomas are both elated to see where their new relationship could take them.

The next morning, however, following a drunken house party, Erica wakes up half-clothed, and discovers words and names drawn in Sharpie in intimate places on her body—names belonging to Thomas’s lacrosse friends, including the boyfriend of Erica’s best friend. Devastated, Erica convinces herself Thomas wasn’t involved in this horrific so-called “prank”…until she discovers Thomas’s name on her skin, too.

Told in alternating viewpoints, Erica seeks to uncover what happened while battling to keep evidence of her humiliation from leaking out, as Thomas grapples with his actions and who he thought he was. Woven throughout, illustrated graphic novel interstitials depict Erica’s alter ego superhero, Erica Strange, whose courage just might help Erica come through to the other side.

*Foretold by Violet Lumani

Cassandra sees death and devastation all around her. In vivid detail.

It’s the price of living with her OCD and extreme anxiety. In every situation, Cass imagines the worst possible fate for everyone in her life. Her dad in a pool of blood after a break-in. Her beloved older neighbor, homeless. A splinter in her finger turned to gangrene.

But this time, it’s not her imagination. The boy next door, Colin, is destined to die. Cass has foretold a real death before; she knows this is a true vision.

Desperate to save Colin’s life, Cass immerses herself in a secret organization of soothsayers that promises to teach her how to change the future she foresees. But as she descends into their hidden world of divinatory magic and predictive technology, she discovers there’s always a price to pay for unraveling fate’s strands. And cheating death will cost her everything.

 

In The Same Boat by Holly Green

Sadie Scofield is just a few days away from the race of a lifetime. The Texas River Odyssey may be 260 miles and multiple days of arduous canoeing where every turn of the river reveals new dangers-downed trees, alligators, pitch black night-but those dangers pale in comparison to going another year knowing that her father is ashamed of her.

Last year, Sadie caused a disastrous wreck that ended her father’s twenty year streak of finishes, and he’s never looked at her the same. Now, she knows that finishing the race with her brother, Tanner, is her one shot to redeem herself. She’s ready for anything…except Tanner ditching her for another team at the last minute.

Sadie grits her teeth and accepts that she has to team up with Cully, her former best friend turned worst enemy. It’s irritating enough that he grew up to be so attractive, but once they’re on the river it turns out he’s ill-prepared for such a dangerous race. But as the miles pass, the pain of the race builds, they uncover the truth about their feuding families, and Sadie’s feelings for Cully begin to shift. Could this race change her life more than she ever could have imagined?

With an unforgettable heroine and an immersive setting, Holly Green’s captivating debut promises heart-stopping action and a swoony romance that will leave you cheering.

 

The Mythic Koda Rose by Jennifer Nissley

Everything Koda Rose knows about her father she’s learned from other people. Moving to New York City with her mom won’t change that, even if New York was Mack Grady’s city—where he became famous, where he wrote his music, and also where he died.

Koda has more important things on her mind. Like how she’s in love with her best friend, Lindsay, and doesn’t have the courage to tell her. Agonizing over how to confess her feelings leads Koda to explore Mack’s enigmatic history in search of answers. She tracks down her dad’s band mate and ex-girlfriend, Sadie Pasquale, and finds herself becoming rapidly obsessed with the mercurial musician.

As Koda and Sadie’s complicated bond deepens, they are both forced to grapple with the black hole Mack left behind, or get sucked in themselves.

 

 

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

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.

 

 

 

Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler

Stevie Rosenstein has never made a true friend. Never fallen in love. Moved from city to city by her father’s unrelenting job, it’s too hard to care for someone. Trust in anything. The pain of leaving always hurts too much. But she’ll soon learn to trust, to love.

Twice.

Drew and Shane have been best friends through everything. The painful death of Shane’s dad. The bitter separation of Drew’s parents. Through sleepaway camps and family heartache, basketball games and immeasurable loss, they’ve always been there for each other.

When Stevie meets Drew and Shane, life should go on as normal.

But a simple coin toss alters the course of their year in profound and unexpected ways.

Told in dual timelines, debut author Jennie Wexler delivers a heartbreaking and hopeful novel about missed opportunities, second chances, and all the paths that lead us to where we are.

 

You and Me at the End of the World by Brianna Bourne

This is no ordinary apocalypse…

Hannah Ashton wakes up to silence. The entire city around her is empty, except for one other person: Leo Sterling. Leo might be hottest boy ever (and not just because he’s the only one left), but he’s also too charming, too selfish, and too devastating for his own good, let alone Hannah’s.

Stuck with only each other, they explore a world with no parents, no friends, and no school and realize that they can be themselves instead of playing the parts everyone expects of them. Hannah doesn’t have to be just an overachieving, music-box-perfect ballerina, and Leo can be more than a slacker, 80s-glam-metal-obsessed guitarist. Leo is a burst of honesty and fun that draws Hannah out, and Hannah’s got Leo thinking about someone other than himself for the first time.

Together, they search for answers amid crushing isolation, but while their empty world may appear harmless . . . it’s not. Because nothing is quite as it seems, and if Hannah and Leo don’t figure out what’s going on, they might just be torn apart forever.

This Week at Book Riot

Over on Book Riot this week…

 

Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) is being challenged in Irving, Texas.

 

My 5th grade teacher had one reading rule and it forever changed my reading life.

 

How ’bout some bookish press-on nails?

Cover Makeovers: 5 YA Book Covers With New Looks

Cover design is never not fascinating. For all that’s said about not judging a book by its cover, it’s actually a pretty powerful skill to have. You’re looking at so many elements to convey what a story is about, who it’s written for, and what books it might be similar to in order to have it reach potential readers. It’s art, after all, and considering the power of art to depict a story is not being superficial.

Authors have little to no say in their cover art, which makes the entire process more complex. How the story is marketed, its first impression to readers in stores and online, is pretty much out of their hands. And given how more and more marketing of books is online and less in-store, it’s no surprise design has taken into consideration how a cover will look when the size of a thumbnail.

Find below five YA books that are getting new designs in paperback. I always love looking at the different choices made in the new iterations. What compelled the publisher to make a change? Who does the book seek to reach now? I love to think about whether the book is now angled more (or less!) toward a teen readership. In some cases, the change is a real upgrade, while in others, it’s not. In yet other cases, the change in design leaves a big ole question mark.

Original hardcover designs are on the left, while the new paperback editions are on the right. I’d love to know which you prefer and why. Descriptions of the books come from Amazon.

 

 

Five New YA Hardcover to Paperback Makeovers

 

The Companion by Kate Alender

 

I’ve been meaning to read this one, in part because it’s horror, in part because Kimberly raved about it, and in part because I’ve read Alender’s work before and enjoy her storytelling. The original hardcover image is so great: it’s unlike anything else out there right now, with its silver spoon collecting nails. It gives creepy and chilling vibes, and with the tagline “Lies pile up. And then they bury you” really offers a lot to the reader without saying too much. The use of pink for Alender’s name is clever, a small treat to prepare the reader for the book to come.

That said, the fact the cover is so different from what’s currently on shelves may be why the paperback has an entirely new look. It reminds me of a horror movie cover more than a book cover, and it’s a design I’ve seen many times with YA horror as well. It’s a creepy house with the silhouette of a girl and a moody sky and color palate. The lights on in the windows add to the spooky ambiance. Interestingly, the title font went from serif to san serif, which I think makes it a little more genre-friendly, and more, the tagline itself completely changed. “She thought she was finally safe. She was wrong” is a very different tell for the book than the first tagline, too. The first, perhaps, leans more thriller, while the second leans heavy into horror.

Both of the covers work, though I’m drawn more toward the original if for no reason other than its freshness. The paperback would look fabulous on a display of books featuring creepy houses, right along with Alender’s earlier The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall.

The Companion hits shelves in paperback August 21.

The other orphans say Margot is lucky.

Lucky to survive the horrible accident that killed her family.

Lucky to have her own room because she wakes up screaming every night.

And finally, lucky to be chosen by a prestigious family to live at their remote country estate.

But it wasn’t luck that made the Suttons rescue Margot from her bleak existence at the group home.  Margot was handpicked to be a companion to their silent, mysterious daughter, Agatha. At first, helping with Agatha–and getting to know her handsome younger brother–seems much better than the group home. But soon, the isolated house begins playing tricks on Margot’s mind, making her question everything she believes about the Suttons . . . and herself.

Margot’s bad dreams may have stopped when she came to live with Agatha – but the real nightmare has just begun.

 

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro

 

Having loved Oshiro’s first YA book Anger Is a Gift, I have to say the cover of Each of Us a Desert left me feeling uninterested. It didn’t tell me anything about the book any more than the title did (and it’s a great title). The tagline “Find where you belong” offers nothing, either. What is the book’s genre? What’s it about? Sure, there’s a profile in the triangle shape — is that supposed to be a sand hill or a pyramid? — but the lack of seeing an expression conveys nothing.

The paperback, on the other hand, nails it. There’s been this neat trend in YA covers, perhaps something to dig into soon, where a bigger scene plays out within the cover image. As you see with the two teens on the cover, there’s an actual desert along their backs. The tagline has been all together ditched in favor of the bigger focal point of title and image, and even though I’m still not sure what the book might be about, I’m far more compelled to pick it up. The teens have readable expressions on their faces, and the look the teen on the left is serving up makes me wonder what she has to say. I like how this copy notes Oshio is an “award winning author,” wherein on the hardcover, it simply read author.

Each of Us a Desert is more captivating in its paperback iteration. It hits shelves November 9.

From award-winning author Mark Oshiro comes a powerful coming-of-age fantasy novel about finding home and falling in love amidst the dangers of a desert where stories come to life

Xochitl is destined to wander the desert alone, speaking her troubled village’s stories into its arid winds. Her only companions are the blessed stars above and enigmatic lines of poetry magically strewn across dusty dunes.

Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit.

One night, Xo’s wish is granted―in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town’s murderous conqueror. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match… if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.

Fresh off of Anger Is a Gift‘s smashing success, Oshiro branches out into a fantastical direction with their new YA novel, Each of Us a Desert.

 

How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi

 

 

The next couple of entries on this look at cover makeovers fall into the category of surely, there’s a reason for the small change but I have no idea what it might be.

Ahmadi’s How It All Blew Up begins as a red cover. The title treatment here is interesting, with “Blew Up” rendered with shadows behind each letter and at an increased size, compared to the rest of the words. We have a big blurb from Angie Thomas, as well as the words “A Novel” beneath the title. It’s a fine cover, and offers to the reader what to expect: a contemporary, coming of age story. The teen on the cover appears to be brown, further letting readers know who the lead in the story is.

The paperback, which hits shelves September 28, takes the same cover images and turns the background to yellow. The squiggles, presumably to indicate “blowing up”/stress/angst, pop a big more with the color change, and the boy has been resized to be a little bit smaller. Ahmadi’s name now lies at the bottom, in what appears to be the same font as the hardcover’s title, while the title itself changed fonts entirely. “Blew Up” is still larger than the other words, but now all of the letters have black outlines.

Perhaps most curious in the change is the disappearance of “A Novel” and the appearance of another blurb, this one from Adam Silvera. In many ways, this now feels like too much on the cover, especially as the squiggles take on more prominence and yellow itself is a bright, energetic color. There’s a lot of writing on the front cover of the book.

Neither is better nor worse, but I love thinking about the why here. What compelled design and marketing to go with yellow here? To add another blurb — one that doesn’t actually say anything about the book? To get rid of “a novel?”

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda goes to Italy in Arvin Ahmadi’s newest incisive look at identity and what it means to find yourself by running away.

Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew coming out to his Muslim family would be messy–he just didn’t think it would end in an airport interrogation room. But when faced with a failed relationship, bullies, and blackmail, running away to Rome is his only option. Right?

Soon, late nights with new friends and dates in the Sistine Chapel start to feel like second nature… until his old life comes knocking on his door. Now, Amir has to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to a US Customs officer, or risk losing his hard-won freedom.

At turns uplifting and devastating, How It All Blew Up is Arvin Ahmadi’s most powerful novel yet, a celebration of how life’s most painful moments can live alongside the riotous, life-changing joys of discovering who you are.

 

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal

 

 

The hardcover design for I’m Not Dying With You Tonight is simple and straight forward: two girls, one Black and one white, are on opposite sides, facing in opposite directions. The title being smack in the middle draws your attention to their faces, and the mirrored title and author fonts reflect that back. It’s a nice use of patterns. The bold choices in colors works well, too. There is power in that cover, without ever once trying to say there’s power in it.

But I will say, I’m even more compelled by the paperback makeover. The elements that worked in the hardcover are made more urgent when the girls are face to face, their eyes staring right into each other, rather than into one another’s mouths. Your eye is drawn to the title, and the layering effect of the city scape behind them adds nice dimension. We know this book was a New York Times bestseller, and both Angie Thomas and Nic Stone blurbed it. I’m generally not a fan of blurbs, especially multiple ones on a cover, but in this case, those blurbs establish this title as a read alike, even if the single words (“Powerful” and “Vital”) are kind of meaningless. The lengthier blurbs on retail websites offer way more to the story itself.

The new cover reminds me of adult contemporary reads a little more than YA, but that’s a value-neutral statement. This has a wide appeal range.

My one criticism of the paperback is something that, to the untrained eye, probably isn’t noticeable: the size and spacing of each word in the title is different. It’s a small difference, meant to squeeze the title between the faces of the girls. It happens in the hardcover, too — look specifically at “Dying” — but it’s easier to see on the paperback.

Both covers are solid, but I prefer the paperback a little bit more.

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight hits shelves in paperback September 7.

Lena has her killer style, her awesome boyfriend, and a plan. She knows she’s going to make it big. Campbell, on the other hand, is just trying to keep her head down and get through the year at her new school.

When both girls attend the Friday-night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together.

They aren’t friends. They hardly understand the other’s point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they’re going to survive the night.

 

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco

 

One of the biggest pet peeves of readers and librarians is when a book in a series gets a new look before the series ends. This means an inconsistent look on shelves and a challenge for helping readers find a book they’re looking for and describing by color. Were a series to maintain two looks — one in hardcover and one in paperback — throughout, it might not be so irritating. But I can’t think of many cases where that’s happened.

All of that is to say the hardcover of the first book in Rin Chupeco’s “A Hundred Names for Magic” series is getting a new look in paperback. The hardcover is such a neat look: each of the letters offers some kind of insight into the story, tying it all together with the concept of magic. There’s a lot of images packed into the design, and yet, it doesn’t feel busy. I’m a huge fan of the series title and number being included, too, right below the title. The color palate here is itself magical.

And while many of these things carry over into the new paperback, particularly the colors and the series title, there’s something that feels less compelling for me. There is the teen looking over their shoulder, a universal offering to walk into the story with them, but the explosion of orange in front of the person is confusing. Perhaps because this is a digital cover and not in person, it’s hard to tell if that’s meant to be a dragon or a phoenix or other creature. At the bottom right, there’s what looks to be a ferris wheel or, perhaps, some kind of climbing plant structure. What was not busy in the hardcover turns into an overly busy visual in paperback.

I do like the font and title treatment on paperback, and I find it interesting the addition of the word “trilogy” to Chupeco’s accolade.

The paperback isn’t bad, but it’s a bit confusing and a little generic in comparison to the hardcover. I’m also curious about the change when the second book in the trilogy has yet to be announced. As of this writing, there’s no title, cover, or publication date.

Wicked As You Wish hits shelves October 1.

Once upon a time, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left to wither and die after the Snow Queen encased it in ice. Its former citizens are now refugees. Which is why crown prince Alex and his protectors are stuck in… Arizona.

Tala Makiling has lived her life as an outsider. Her family curse, the one that’s doomed her to be a spellbreaker, someone who destroys magic, hasn’t won her too many friends. Except Alex, who trusts her and her family to keep his royal identity a secret.

And then one night, a famous creature of legend, the Firebird, appears in their tiny town, reigniting hope for their abandoned homeland. Alex and Tala team up with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon. Their path is filled with danger―from deadly prophecies, to terrifying ice wolves, a traitor among them, and the Snow Queen herself. But if they succeed… their story would be legendary.

 

Note:

Because the nature of this post is to explore and discuss design, I’ve elected not to include the names of artists or designers. I went back and forth on this because crediting is important and something more people who write or talk about books need to do, especially related to covers, but ultimately, because the changes happen more often in marketing and sales than they do in design, I don’t want to draw attention to an individual who may or may not have had much say in what they produced.

This Week at Book Riot

Over on Book Riot this week…

 

What’s happening at Niles Public Library with their elected Board’s agenda of destroying the institution should concern you.

 

How white gatekeeping in YA harms actual teenagers.

 

Dig into nostalgia with these 90s teen horror books.

What I’m Reading Now

Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews

I don’t read nearly as much YA as I used to, but this book – a reimagining of the myth of Daphne and Apollo – is right up my alley, and would have been a big hit with teenage me too. In Andrews’ story, Daphne is a warrior of Sparta, trapped by Artemis into retrieving certain items that have been stolen from Olympus and need to be returned, otherwise the gods’ powers will fade and disappear entirely. Apollo accompanies Daphne on her quest, of course, and I’m curious to see what parts of the original myth (where Daphne is turned into a tree in order to escape the amorous advances of Apollo) Andrews keeps and how she manipulates them. I’m only a few chapters in and I’m finding the writing a bit clunky so far, but it’s plenty exciting and has a great hook.

 

Nefertiti by Nick Drake

The premise of this historical mystery for adults is that the great queen of ancient Egypt, Nefertiti, has disappeared, and her husband, the pharaoh Akhenaten, has commanded a detective named Rahotep to find out what has happened to her. It’s based on what was once thought to be a real event: Nefertiti, queen of the pharaoh Akhenaten – credited as the first known monotheist in history – died or disappeared during the 12th year of her husband’s reign. Prior to 2012, Egyptologists were unable to find any reference to her after this time, leading them to conclude that something had happened to her. In 2012, however, after the publication of Drake’s book, an inscription referring to Nefertiti as present alongside her husband was found from the 16th year of Akhenaten’s reign, ruling out this idea. Still, it’s a good jumping-off point for a story, and I’m enjoying Drake’s historical details. This is a much more immersive ancient Egyptian historical fiction than Agatha Christie’s take, though the characters come across as a bit stiff, and so far I’m not fully invested in them as a result.

 

Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke

I read a ton of mysteries and thrillers, which can include some pretty gruesome plot points, but I’ve never gotten behind the true crime trend. I like my murders fictional, preferably with justice visited upon the perpetrator at the end. When the crimes are real, they stop being entertainment. So this novel is an interesting pick for me: a true crime podcaster who specializes in cold cases gets wrapped up in an active case, one where it seems like the current subject of her podcast – a serial killer whom most believe is dead, but was never caught – is the culprit. The mystery is compelling, though hard to read: the serial killer abducted young women and girls, poisoned them over days, physically abused them, then murdered them and left them to be found by the public.

Despite the well-written story and audio production (there are excerpts of the podcast, which include ringing phones, background noise during public meetings in restaurants, and so on), my main feeling as I read this book is of annoyance: I’m annoyed by the main character’s insistence that she be taken seriously as an investigator because of her podcast. Furthermore, I’m annoyed by her insistence that her podcast is a way to close cold cases instead of just stoke the lurid imaginations of thousands of internet strangers, particularly when it concerns a serial killer who murders children. If you like true crime, to each their own, but let’s be honest about why you’re creating or listening to this podcast: it’s entertainment, not a public service. The current fascination with real-life murders and serial killers is really distasteful to me, and the idea of a podcaster as an amateur sleuth rubs me the wrong way. I recognize this is a bias of mine and at least partially undeserved, but there it is.

Digging Deep: Five Excellent Deep Dive Podcasts To Try

I love a good podcast. Despite being a reader and having a YA podcast, though, I tend not to listen to podcasts about books or reading. I prefer something different, and I’ve come to find in the last year or two exactly what it is I love about a show: a well-researched deep dive into social, historical, and/or cultural phenomena. These shows tend to be scripted or rely on significant research for the hosts to share, meaning the show notes for each are a treasure trove of great reading material post-episode.

While I don’t have a commute and don’t do a whole lot of driving, I find plenty of time to listen to podcasts. Like with audiobooks, I listen to them while doing household chores — think showering, folding and putting away laundry, cleaning — as well as more recently, while feeding the baby. I don’t often get to listen in big chunks of time, which mirrors why it is nonfiction tends to work better for me both in audiobooks and for pods. I don’t feel like I miss out popping in and out of the story or show.

Recommending podcasts is like recommending music to me. I don’t feel especially qualified to do it since it’s not my area of expertise, and then when I have shared a podcast or music I love with someone, I tend to believe they already know about it and it’s not new to them. This is often not the case, though. But because it’s not books and therefore, a space I feel super confident in, I don’t tend to share as much. But let’s change that today!

These five podcasts are in my regular rotation and/or were podcasts I listened through when I discovered them. All of them are deep dive podcasts. Grab whatever podcatcher you use (I’m a Spotify podcast listener, if you’re wondering) and be prepared to listen to so much good stuff.

 

 

Five Excellent Deep Dive Podcasts on Social, Historical, and Cultural Phenomenon

 

Maintenance Phase

Hosted by Michael Hobbs — who you’ll see again shortly — and Aubrey Gordon, author of the book What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat (excellent on audio, though be prepared to be bummed Gordon doesn’t perform it!), this biweekly podcast tackles topics on health and wellness. This is a fat positive show, and it seeks to shed light on things that are or once were trendy in weight loss, health, and diet culture.

Both Hobbs and Gordon are in their 30s, so many of the topics they touch on are ones I remember or was familiar with growing up. Their chemistry is fantastic, and it’s clear how much they enjoy each other and the ways they push one another to dig even deeper in their research. My only complaint is when they joke about being able to talk about a topic for three hours, they don’t. Give it to me!

You do not need to listen to this one in any order or begin in any specific spot.

Recommended episodes: “The President’s Physical Fitness Test,” “Snackwell’s Cookies,” “Snake Oil,” and “The Wellness to QAnon Pipeline”

 

You’re Wrong About

You think you know the story behind a historical moment or a cultural event, but do you really? That’s the premise of this outstanding podcast, hosted by Michael Hobbs (see above!) and writer Sarah Marshall. The show looks at how the media and our collective memory have reshaped significant events or stories. It’s jarring to see where things I believed to be true or people I thought I “knew” were not/did not match the realities, thanks to how their stories were spun.

I discovered You’re Wrong About a year or so before Hobbes started Maintenance Phase, and it’s been neat to hear his perspective on each of the shows. Marshall’s also great at what she does, and I can only hope we see her in-progress book about the Satanic Panic sooner, rather than later.

You don’t need to listen to this one in any order or start in any spot. There are a few shows that take place over multiple episodes, such as the ones on OJ Simpson and Princess Diana. The topics aren’t given short shrift.

The podcast is weekly, but sometimes it is a few weeks between episodes. I can only imagine the piles of research for many of the shows.

Recommended Episodes: “Losing Relatives to Fox News,” “Wayfair and Human Trafficking Statistics,” “D.A.R.E.,” “Disco Demolition Night,” and all of the Diana episodes.

 

Under the Influence

I don’t even remember how I stumbled upon this podcast, but it hooked me immediately. This is a show you do need to listen to start to finish, but it’s so compelling that stopping can be a challenge. It truly got me through those first few weeks postpartum.

Hosted by writer Jo Piazza, Under The Influence is about the world of mom influences on social media. How do they become famous? What happens to them when they achieve a notoriety? Why do many of them get caught up in the world of MLMs or subscribe to QAnon beliefs?

Piazza found herself spending hours diving into the world of mom influences and realized it made for a compelling podcast series. This is not a show that’s going to demonize these women; instead, it’s a look at how they’ve been cast in popular culture, why and how white influences are given far more opportunities than influencers of color, and what happens when an audience turns on an influencer. There are certainly moments when, as a listener, I rolled my eyes thinking about things I’ve seen. The show unpacks those reactions and instincts in such a savvy way.

Start from the beginning with this podcast. There are 12 episodes. 

 

 

History of the 90s

Kathy Kenzora, a former Toronto reporter, started a podcast called History of 1995, and the popularity of that show led to an expansion into a deeper dive into the history of the whole decade. This podcast is incredibly researched, and Kenzora develops a narrative that’s hard to stop listening to once you stop. I’ll note that her voice isn’t the most engaging, likely because you can tell she’s reading a script, but her perspective as a Canadian is especially interesting to hear when she digs into US-centric stories (her episode on the Oklahoma City Bombing, for example, defines the various government departments in the building — something US folks would never likely think twice about).

The wide range of topics is what keeps me coming back to this one, as well as the nuggets of insight I’d never considered before. One episode may cover a specific music genre such as Grunge (which made me pause in reconsidering how I’d never classified Pearl Jam as grunge, despite the fact Eddie Vedder was one of the first grunge artists) and then the next might explore the truth behind the Atlantic Olympic Bombing (this episode was composed SO WELL that I didn’t even think about the real bomber until the very end, when Kenzora reminded the listeners we never touched that yet).

You can listen to these biweekly episodes in any order. I think some of the two-parters would have been better as a longer one-parter, but they’re still worth listening to both if the topic is of interest.

Recommended Episodes: “Nickelodeon,” “Woodstock ’99,” “Girl Power,” and “Olympic Bombing and the Wrong Man, Richard Jewell.”

 

 

The Dream

The Dream has produced two seasons so far, and I think the second season is much weaker than the first. Perhaps it’s because Maintenance Phase does something similar and better, or perhaps it’s because the “wellness industry” is a topic I know more about than the show has offered. That said, the first season is an incredible deep dive into Multi Level Marketing (MLM) schemes and the dark history behind them, as well as how they lure folks in.

Hosted by Jane Marie and Dann Gallucci, the show really focuses on the capitalist underpinnings of two arenas that aren’t called capitalist machines enough. Rather, MLMs and wellness “sell the dream” of a lifestyle that simply doesn’t exist, using exploitative measures to do so.

I read Amanda Montell’s recent book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism in March this year, and it was really worthwhile to think about what The Dream explored in comparison with how MLMs and other groups use language to situate themselves as different, as powerful, and as the means to achieving that “ideal” life.

Start from the beginning with this podcast. There are 11 episodes in season one and 10 in season two. 

 

 

Are there any similar podcasts in your rotation you love? I’m always looking for more, and I’m especially interested in similarly-minded podcasts hosted by and about people of color. Leave your recs for me, and I hope you found something new here to enjoy.

This Week at Book Riot

I’m back at work now, and I’ve hit the keyboard hard:

 

New anti-LGBTQ laws in Hungary have landed a bookshop with a fine for not labeling a queer-friendly children’s book as such.

 

And speaking of censorship, the Texas governor canceled a book event for a title exploring the ways slavery impacted the history of the Alamo.

Setting Many Scenes: YA Montage Book Covers

It was Tirzah, covering the Book Riot YA newsletter for me during my leave, who finally put to words the YA book cover trend I kept seeing over and over. But more than putting words to the trend, her roundup of montages on YA book covers made me understand precisely why these covers seem to blend together for me. Illustrated covers have that impact on me to begin with, but when so many also utilize the montage effect, they are really difficult for me to distinguish.

I suspect I’m not alone, and I’m curious how this plays out for readers seeking a book they know only by cover (“It’s blue and has a couple on it,” could be so many recent titles).

Tirzah’s roundup in the YA newsletter is a great one, and while there will be some repeats below, her look includes one I’ve not added here.

I’ve limited to YA montage book covers for books published in 2020, 2021, and those that are on the docket for 2022. I’d love to know if you can think of others that fit the pattern. Drop ’em in the comments. Descriptions are from Goodreads, though I have read a few of these books.

As you’ll notice: not all of these are illustrated, either!

 

Montages on YA Book Covers

 

Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden

This Australian YA has a fun montage to kick off this (alphabetical) list. I dig the color story here, too. The US cover for this one looks quite different. No designer or illustrator information could be found for the Aussie cover. 

Luca is ready to audition for the Australian Ballet School. All it takes to crush his dreams is one missed step . . . and a broken foot.

Jordan is the gorgeous rowing star and school captain of Luca’s new school. Everyone says he’s straight – but Luca’s not so sure . . .

As their unlikely bond grows stronger, Luca starts to wonder: who is he without ballet? And is he setting himself up for another heartbreak?

 

 

Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter

How meta is this montage of montages? Genius. The cover illustration is by Liz Casal. 

Liz Buxbaum has always known that Wes Bennett was not boyfriend material. You would think that her next-door neighbor would be a prince candidate for her romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only proven himself to be a pain in the butt, ever since they were little. Wes was the kid who put a frog in her Barbie Dreamhouse, the monster who hid a lawn gnome’s severed head in her little homemade neighborhood book exchange.

Flash forward ten years from the Great Gnome Decapitation. It’s Liz’s senior year, a time meant to be rife with milestones perfect for any big screen, and she needs Wes’s help. See, Liz’s forever crush, Michael, has just moved back to town, and—horribly, annoyingly—he’s hitting it off with Wes. Meaning that if Liz wants Michael to finally notice her, and hopefully be her prom date, she needs Wes. He’s her in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she actually likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own perception of what Happily Ever After should really look like.

 

 

Don’t Hate The Player by Alexis Nedd

A lot of the elements of this cover montage remind of the hardcover of Eric Smith’s Don’t Read The Comments. Like the previous cover on this list, the illustration is by Liz Casal. 

By day, Emilia is a field hockey star with a popular boyfriend and a mother obsessed with her academic future. But by night, she’s kicking virtual ass as the only female member of a highly competitive eSports team. Emilia has mastered the art of keeping her two worlds thriving, which hinges on them staying completely separate.

When a major eSports tournament comes to her city, Emilia is determined to prove herself to the male-dominated gaming community. But her perfectly balanced life is thrown for a loop when a member of a rival team—Jake—recognizes her . . .

From an exciting new talent, this sweet and charming YA romance will win the hearts of gamers and non-gamers alike.

 

Hello Now by Jenny Valentine

A photographic montage, this time featuring people jumping from a cliff over the sea, ending with just a single person in the last scene. Dana Li is the cover artist. 

Jude’s life is upended when his mother loses her job and moves them to a little town by the sea to live with Henry Lake–an eccentric old man with rooms to rent. Henry is odd, the town is dull, and worst of all, Jude feels out of place and alone.

So when Novo turns up in the house across the street, dressed all in black and looking unbearably handsome, Jude’s summer takes an immediate turn for the better. But Novo isn’t all that he seems to be–or maybe he’s more than Jude can possibly understand. Novo is a time traveler, someone who wakes up in different places and at different points in time with utter regularity. He knows that each Now is fleeting, that each moment is only worth the energy it expends on itself, and that each experience he has will be lost to him before long.

But Jude and Novo form a bond that shifts reality for both of them. Unlike anything he’s ever experienced, Jude begins to question what forever really means–only to find out that Novo knows that forever isn’t real. And when things go horribly wrong, he and Novo are faced with an impossible question that may change both of their lives irreparably–what is worth sacrificing for love?

 

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

I dig the characters hanging out on top of the letters, as though they are seats. There’s less of a cohesive story here — maybe there’s not one at all — but the design certainly feels like a montage. Cover designed by Erin Fitzsimmons and illustrated by Mariana Ramírez.

Noah Ramirez thinks he’s an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There’s just one problem—all the stories are fake. What started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a beacon of hope for trans readers across the globe.

When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary. But when Noah’s feelings grow beyond their staged romance, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page.

In this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script.

 

The Night of Your Life by Lydia Sharp

The polaroid photos tell the story in a clever take on the montage. No cover designer found — this is turning into a major pet peeve of mine. If it’s on the inside flap of the book, it could be put right on the publisher’s information page for the book. 

JJ is having the worst prom ever… over and over again.

All year, JJ’s been looking forward to going to prom with his best friend, Lucy. It will be their last hurrah before graduation—a perfect night for all their friends to relax, have fun together, and celebrate making it through high school.

But nothing goes according to plan. When a near-car crash derails JJ before he even gets to prom and Lucy can’t figure out what happened to him, things spiral out of control. The best night of their lives quickly turns into the worst.

That is… until JJ wakes up the next day only to find that it’s prom night all over again.

At first, JJ thinks he’s lucky to have unlimited chances at perfecting the night of his life. But each day ends badly for him and Lucy, no matter what he does. Can he find a way to get the perfect prom he’s always wanted and move forward into the rest of his life?

 

The Night When No One Had Sex by Kalena Miller — September 7, 2021

Here’s another prom-themed YA with a montage cover, though this one takes it in a very different direction. The colors and style here make it stand out a bit more, even though it does a really similar thing to the others. No designer information found.

It’s the night of senior prom, and eighteen-year-old Julia has made a pact with her friends. (Yes, that kind of pact.) They have secured a secluded cabin in the woods, one night without parental supervision, and plenty of condoms. But as soon as they leave the dance, the pact begins to unravel. Alex’s grandmother is undergoing emergency surgery, and he and his date rush to the hospital. Zoe’s trying to figure out how she feels about getting off the waitlist at Yale–and how to tell her girlfriend. Madison’s chronic illness flares, holding her back once again from being a normal teenager. And Julia’s fantasy-themed role play gets her locked in a closet. Alternating between each character’s perspective and their ridiculous group chat, The Night When No One Had Sex finds a group of friends navigating the tenuous transition into adulthood and embracing the uncertainty of life after high school.

 

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks

The montage on this one flips around as you move down the cover, and the way that the title is built into boxes with space between them really gives your eye the ease in seeing how the relationship plays out. Cover design and art direction by Hana Nakamura. 

Caleb has always assumed that when she was ready for romance, Evie would choose him. Because he is her best friend, and he loves her, and he has almost kissed her 17 times… 

Seventeen-year-old Evie Beckham has never been interested in dating. She’s been fully occupied by her love of mathematics and her frequent battles with anxiety (and besides, she’s always found the idea of kissing to be a little bit icky). But with the help of her best friend and her therapist, Evie’s feeling braver. Maybe even brave enough to enter a prestigious physics competition and to say yes to the new boy who’s been flirting with her.

Caleb Covic knows Evie isn’t ready for romance but assumes that when she is, she will choose him. So Caleb is horrified when he is forced to witness Evie’s meet cute with a floppy-haired, mathematically gifted transfer student. Because Caleb knows the girl never falls for the funny best friend when there’s a mysterious stranger around, he decides to use an online forum to capture Evie’s interest. Now, he’s got Evie wondering if it’s possible to fall in love with a boy she’s never met.

 

Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma — July 13, 2021

The colors and energy of this cover are electric. It screams fun, flirty, and delicious! Even though I’m not usually a fan of mixed fonts for titles, especially when the cover is already busy, it works here. Justine Poulter is the cover artist. 

Radha is on the verge of becoming one of the greatest Kathak dancers in the world . . . until a family betrayal costs her the biggest competition of her life. Now, she has left her Chicago home behind to follow her stage mom to New Jersey. At the Princeton Academy of the Arts, Radha is determined to leave performing in her past, and reinvent herself from scratch.

Jai is captain of the Bollywood Beats dance team, ranked first in his class, and an overachiever with no college plans. Tight family funds means medical school is a pipe dream, which is why he wants to make the most out of high school. When Radha enters his life, he realizes she’s the exact ingredient he needs for a show-stopping senior year.

With careful choreography, both Radha and Jai will need to face their fears (and their families) if they want a taste of a happily ever after.

 

Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon — February 8, 2022

Speaking of fun and energetic covers, this 2022 fits into the trend, too. I love the dancing, the skating, the enjoying a meal, and, of course, the motorcycle/moped ride going on. This is also a prom night rom-com, alongside a couple of other titles on this list. Illustrated by Salini Perera and designed by Jessica Jenkins. 

Sunny G’s brother left him one thing when he died: his notebook, which he’s determined to fill up with a series of rash decisions. Decision number one was a big one: He took off his turban, cut off his hair, and shaved his beard. He doesn’t look like a Sikh anymore; he doesn’t look like himself anymore. He put on a suit and debuted his new look at prom, but apparently changing his look doesn’t change everything. Sunny still doesn’t fit there, and all he wants to do is go to the Harry Potter after-party, where his best friend, Ngozi, and their band were supposed to be playing a show tonight.

Enter Mindii Vang, a girl he’s never met before but who’s about to change his life. Sunny and Mindii head off on an all-night adventure through their city–a night full of rash, wonderful, romantic, stupid, huge decisions.

 

Tell It True by Tim Lockette — September 21, 2021

Take a moment with this one to find the montage (maybe they buried the lede here–ha!). It’s a clever take on the design trend, and the way the title font is woven into the cover image makes it really pop. No designer or illustrator information found.  

Lisa Rives had higher expectations for sophomore year. Her beauty queen mom wonders why she can’t be more like other 15-year-old girls in their small Alabama town. Lisa’s Dad, well, she suspects he’s having an affair with a colleague at his top-secret job. Her friend Preethy seems to be drifting away, and Lisa spends her schooldays dodging creepy boys and waiting to graduate. Then she finds herself in charge of her high school newspaper, which is the last thing she wanted–school newspapers are for popular kids and club-joiners, not outcasts like her, and besides, the stories are never about anything you actually want to know. But after accidentally tipping the scales in the school election, then deciding to cover a real story–the upcoming execution of a local man charged with murder–and becoming a surprise news story herself, Lisa learns some hard lessons about friendship and truth-telling. As Lisa navigates the dilemmas, challenges, and unintended consequences of journalism, she finds her life–and her convictions–changing in ways she couldn’t have imagined. Tell It True is a sometimes hilarious, sometimes devastating, always relatable coming-of-age story about the importance of speaking the truth in a world of denial and fake news.

 

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

I love this one, especially for how well it ties into the story about a friendship breakup. We have best friends. We have a clear argument. We have just one girl remaining. The fonts for the tag line, the title, and the author are integrated smoothly, without taking away from the montage. Illustration by Bex Glendining and design by Angela Carlino. 

You can’t rewrite the past, but you can always choose to start again. 

It’s been twenty-seven days since Cleo and Layla’s friendship imploded.

Nearly a month since Cleo realized they’ll never be besties again.

Now, Cleo wants to erase every memory, good or bad, that tethers her to her ex–best friend. But pretending Layla doesn’t exist isn’t as easy as Cleo hoped, especially after she’s assigned to be Layla’s tutor. Despite budding new friendships with other classmates—and a raging crush on a gorgeous boy named Dom—Cleo’s turbulent past with Layla comes back to haunt them both.

Alternating between time lines of Then and Now, When You Were Everything blends past and present into an emotional story about the beauty of self-forgiveness, the promise of new beginnings, and the courage it takes to remain open to love.