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October's Most Anticipated YA Books
As dedicated readers already know, some of the best and most innovative stories on the shelves come from the constantly evolving realm of young adult fiction. Every month our team looks at the books being published and how they're resonating with early readers by way of Want to Read shelvings and initial reviews. We use this information to put together a roundup of soon-to-be favorites.
New in October: Ann Liang introduces an invisible heroine with If You Could See the Sun. Robin Roe presents a new kind of locked-room thriller with Dark Room Etiquette. And S.K. Ali delivers a long-anticipated sequel with Love from Mecca to Medina. Also in the mix this month: Morbid podcasts, Chinese history, and weird dreams.
Add the books that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf and let us know what you're reading and recommending in the comments!
New in October: Ann Liang introduces an invisible heroine with If You Could See the Sun. Robin Roe presents a new kind of locked-room thriller with Dark Room Etiquette. And S.K. Ali delivers a long-anticipated sequel with Love from Mecca to Medina. Also in the mix this month: Morbid podcasts, Chinese history, and weird dreams.
Add the books that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf and let us know what you're reading and recommending in the comments!
It’s a compelling idea: What if you were told exactly when you were going to die? What if that day is today? In a prequel of sorts to BookTok sensation They Both Die at the End, Adam Silvera’s new novel tracks two young men who find a deep connection in New York City under the strangest of circumstances. It’s the scenario for which the adjective “bittersweet” was invented.
Alice Sun has just returned to her elite boarding school in Beijing, where she’s the only scholarship student among kids from China’s richest families. Things get weird when Alice learns that she can, well, turn invisible. Should she use this amazing new ability to spy on her friends? Gather scandalous secrets? Maybe even turn a profit? Debut author Ann Liang presents an ethical dilemma through a kind of thought experiment in magical realism. What would you do?
Author Maggie Stiefvater’s fascinating Dreamer Trilogy concludes with this highly anticipated third installment, focusing in on the final fate of the Lynch family. The quick gist: In Stiefvater’s inventive fantasy universe, the borders of the dreams are permanently blurred. Some people are dreamers, trying to control events in their slippery reality. Some people are dreamed, and their very existence depends on the dreamers. The waking world, meanwhile, has its own dangers and opportunities.
Born and raised in India, Canadian author Rati Mehrotra brings several new and interesting twists to the high fantasy genre with Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove. Young royal guardswoman Katyani is a dedicated advisor and protector to the crown prince, Ayan. But when a series of assassination attempts disrupts the court, Katyani is sent to a remote monastic school as an elite bodyguard. Bad Things Happen, and Katyani finds herself alone in a land of monsters.
One of the leading lights in literary YA queer fiction, author Malinda Lo won the National Book Award and the Stonewall Book Award for her 2021 novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club. Lo returns to the Bay Area with A Scatter of Light, a new story set sixty years after the events of last year’s novel. Word is that this contemporary coming-of-age story also offers some insights into the lives of characters from the previous book.
From author Robin Roe (2017’s A List of Cages), the YA suspense thriller Dark Room Etiquette proceeds from a pretty grim premise: Sixteen-year-old Sayers Wayte has been kidnapped and confined to a windowless room. His abductor insists that the life Sayers has known is a lie, and Sayers must play along just to survive. When fiction and fact start to blur and bleed over, Sayers must make his move before it’s too late.
Inspired by classic Chinese literature, Joan He’s historical fantasy Strike the Zither is set in the Three Kingdoms era, when China was divided into warring dynastic states. The young orphan Zephyr has grown into one of the land’s most brilliant strategists. She will put her skills to the ultimate test when she’s dispatched to infiltrate an enemy camp, in which the warriors may not be entirely human. Also complicating matters: A mysterious opposing strategist known only as Crow. It’s good, clean 3rd century fun!
More historical fiction from interesting places this month: The Witch Hunt – sequel to last year’s The Witch Haven–invites readers to Paris circa 1911, where a trio of young witches face a necromantic dilemma. Thanks to a spell gone severely wrong, young witch Frances has torn open the veil between the living and the dead. Cleaning up the problem will involve dealing with evil magicians, secret societies, and Paris’ vast underground catacombs.
Recommended for fans of Sadie and Wilder Girls, the horror-thriller The Restless Dark tells the twisty tale of three young women on a quest for the bones of a serial killer. Lucy, Carolina, and Maggie have signed up for a remarkably morbid true-crime podcast contest. The challenge? Locate the mortal remains of the infamous Cloudkiss Killer. Each of the contestants has her own reasons for participating. And each is feeling the pull of a mysterious force. Uh-oh.
Following up on events in the 2019 book Love from A to Z, the YA romance Love from Mecca to Medina returns to the story of star-crossed lovers Adam and Zayneb. As the story begins, literal distance is the relationship’s biggest problem – Adam is in Qatar, Zayneb in Chicago. But things change when the pair reunite on the Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, in Saudi Arabia. The trip does not go as planned.
Which new releases are you looking forward to reading? Let's talk books in the comments!
And be sure to check out more recent articles.
And be sure to check out more recent articles.
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Kae
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Sep 28, 2022 08:29PM
I already have most of these on my WTR list! I guess October releases are just my taste :)
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Among the new releases this month, we found some very interesting titles. We highlight the debut of Ann Liang with her excellent delivery If You Could See the Sun A must read.
