New Release Tuesday: YA New Releases October 16th 2018

Happy New Release Tuesday!

 

A Very Large Expanse of Sea

by Tahereh Mafi
Published by: HarperTeen
on October 16, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
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It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.

But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.

 

Home and Away

by Candice Montgomery
Published by: Page Street Publishing
on October 16, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
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Tasia Quirk is young, Black, and fabulous. She's a senior, she's got great friends, and a supportive and wealthy family. She even plays football as the only girl on her private high school's team.

But when she catches her mamma trying to stuff a mysterious box in the closet, her identity is suddenly called into question. Now Tasia’s determined to unravel the lies that have overtaken her life. Along the way, she discovers what family and forgiveness really mean, and that her answers don’t come without a fee. An artsy bisexual boy from the Valley could help her find them—but only if she stops fighting who she is, beyond the color of her skin.

 

Crown of Thunder (Beasts Made of Night, #2)

by Tochi Onyebuchi
Published by: Razorbill
on October 16, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
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In the sequel to the acclaimed Beasts Made of Night, Taj has escaped Kos, but Queen Karima will go to any means necessary—including using the most deadly magic—to track him down.

Taj is headed west, but the consequences of leaving Kos behind confront him at every turn. Innocent civilians flee to refugee camps as Karima's dark magic continues to descend on the city. Taj must return, but first he needs a plan.

With Arzu's help, Taj and Aliya make it to the village of her ancestors, home of the tastahlik—sin-eaters with Taj's same ability to both battle and call forth sins. As Taj comes to terms with his new magic, he realizes there are two very different groups of tastahlik—one using their powers for good, the other for more selfish ends.

Aliya is struggling with her own unique capabilities. She's immersed in her work to uncover the secret to Karima's magic, but her health begins to mysteriously deteriorate. With the help of a local western mage, Aliya uncovers her true destiny—a future she's not sure she wants.

As Taj and Aliya explore their feelings for each other and Arzu connects with her homeland, the local westerners begin to question Taj's true identity. Karima is on his heels, sending dark warnings to the little village where he's hiding. Taj will have to go back and face her before she sends her mostly deadly weapon—Taj's former best friend, Bo.

 

A Sorrow Fierce and Falling (Kingdom on Fire, #3)

by Jessica Cluess
Published by: Random House Books for Young Readers
on October 16, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
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Magic, romance, and heart-pounding action bring the final book in the Kingdom on Fire series to a shocking and satisfying close. Justine Magazine says, "A pinch of Potter blended with a drop of [Cassandra Clare's] Infernal Devices."

"Plot twists so good they will leave you reeling."--TRACI CHEE, New York Times bestselling author of The Reader

It's time for war.

After suffering terrible losses, Henrietta and Lord Blackwood have led their warriors to Sorrow-Fell, a vast estate where only those invited by a Blackwood may enter--and the ideal place to plan a final assault against the Ancients.

It's time for a wedding.

Henrietta nervously awaits her marriage to Blackwood, but when the ritual to become his bride reveals a dark secret, she realizes that Sorrow-Fell is not a safe haven; it's a trap. Convincing the sorcerers of this, however, is not easy. So with Maria, the true chosen one, and Magnus, the young man who once stole her heart, at her side, Henrietta plots a dangerous journey straight into the enemy's lair. Some will live. Some will die. All will be tested.

In this stunning conclusion to the Kingdom on Fire series, Henrietta must choose between the love from her past, the love from her present, and a love that could define her future. While battles rage, the fate of the kingdom rests on her decision: Will she fall or rise up to become the woman who saves the realm?

It's time for Henrietta to make her stand.

Praise for Jessica Cluess's A Shadow Bright and Burning, Kingdom on Fire, Book 1:

"This is a novel that gives off light and heat." --
The New York Times

"Vivid characters, terrifying monsters, and world building as deep and dark as the ocean." --VICTORIA AVEYARD, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen

"Devastatingly magical and monstrously romantic." --STEPHANIE GARBER, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

"Unputdownable. I loved the monsters, the magic, and the teen warriors who are their world's best hope! Jessica Cluess is an awesome storyteller!" --TAMORA PIERCE, #1 New York Times bestselling author

 

Strange Lies

by Maggie Thrash
Published by: Simon Pulse
on October 16, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery
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Critically acclaimed author Maggie Thrash’s second novel in the Strange Truth series blends crackling suspense, subversive humor, and biting social commentary to become the “definition of a page-turner” (John Corey Whaley).

Only at Winship Academy would an evening science expo turn into a criminal fiasco. First, there’s the anonymous boy in the girls’ bathroom handing out drugs to anyone with the secret password. Then the student body president is maimed in a horrifying and tragic accident—but was it an accident or an attack?

Benny Flax and Virginia Leeds are right at the center of it all. And so is the headmaster’s son, Calvin Harker, an oddball poet whose interest in Virginia sets off alarm bells for Benny. As the case bleeds from Winship Academy to the surrounding city, the deep fault lines of racial tension in Atlanta’s history reveal explosive hatred still simmering under the city’s surface.

Once again, Maggie Thrash (author of Honor Girl) delivers a uniquely compelling, thought-provoking, and entirely riveting story.

 

Wind Rider (Tales of a New World, #3)

by P.C. Cast
Published by: Wednesday Books
on October 16, 2018
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#1 New York Times bestselling author of the House of Night series, P.C. Cast, brings us Wind Rider, an epic fantasy set in a world where humans, their animal allies, and the earth itself has been drastically changed. A world filled with beauty and danger and cruelty…

Mari, Nik, and their newly formed Pack are being hunted. Thaddeus and the God of Death will stop at nothing until they are obliterated from the earth. But Mari and Nik have one goal: to reach the plains of the Wind Riders, in order to band together to stop Thaddeus from destroying all that Mari and Nik hold dear.

But will the mysterious Wind Riders accept the Pack, or will Mari and Nik and their people be rejected by the mighty Riders and be forced to flee for their lives? And what happens when a rogue Lead Stallion gets too close to the Pack, rejecting all Wind Riders and turning to a stranger for companionship instead?

In the next installment of the Tales of a New World series love and goodness are put to the ultimate test. Will the Wind Riders and the Pack be strong enough to withstand the God of Death? Will the Great Goddess of Life awaken to join the battle, and if so, will it be as Death's consort, or will the Goddess stand with Mari and her people against the great love of her eternal life?

 

Quiver

by Julia Watts
Published by: Three Rooms Press
on October 16, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
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Set in rural Tennessee, QUIVER by Julia Watts is a brilliant YA novel that focuses on the unlikely friendship between two teens from opposite sides of the culture wars. 

Libby is the oldest child of six, going on seven, in a family that adheres to the "quiverfull" lifestyle: strict evangelical Christians who believe that they should have as many children as God allows because children are like arrows in the quiver of "God's righteous warriors." Like the other families who adhere to this philosophy, Libby's family regards the father as the "Christian patriarch" and leader and the mother as the "helpmeet" who gives birth to, cares for, and homeschools the children.

Meanwhile, Zo is the gender fluid offspring of Libby's new neighbors who have moved to the country from Knoxville in hopes of living a slower-paced, more natural life.

Zo and hir family are as far to the left ideologically as Libby's family is to the right, and yet Libby and Zo, who are the same age, feel a connection that leads them to friendship—a friendship that seems doomed from the start because of their families' differences. 

Through deft storytelling, built upon extraordinary character development, author Watts offers a close examination of the contemporary compartmentalization of social interactions, and forms a story that resonates far beyond its pages.

 

Villain

by Michael Grant
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
on October 16, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Sci-Fi
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Michael Grant’s return to the globally bestselling Gone series continues with book two of the trilogy. The teens trapped in the FAYZ ingested an alien virus that gave them special abilities—but superpowers don’t always make you a superhero, and a global war forces new and returning mutants to choose sides.

It’s been four years since the events of Gone. The Perdido Beach dome is down, but the horrors within have spread, and now all humanity is in danger.

The alien virus–infested rock that created the FAYZ is creating monsters—monsters that walk the cities and countryside, terrorizing all. There are tanks in the street and predator drones in the sky, doomed efforts to stop the disintegration of civilization. Into this chaos comes a villain with the power to control anyone with just the sound of his voice. Dillon Poe wanted to be a comedian once . . . but everyone made fun of him. Dillon the loser. Dillon the freak. Now he’s sending thousands to their deaths. Who’s laughing now?

The only people who can stop a superpowered villain are superpowered heroes. Dekka, Shade, Cruz, Malik, Armo, and a new mutant with unmatched powers are all who stand in Dillon’s way. But when the lines begin to blur between hero and villain—some begin to wonder who’s really the monster. Old foes return and new ones rise. The fight will be bloody. This isn’t another battle; this is the war to save the human race.

 

Easy Prey

by Catherine Lo
Published by: Amulet Books
on October 16, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery
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Only three students had access to a teacher’s racy photos before they went viral. There’s Mouse, a brainy overachiever so desperate to escape his father and go to MIT that he would do almost anything, legal or not. Then there’s Drew, the star athlete who can get any girl’s number—and private photos—with his charm but has a history of passing those photos around. And finally there’s Jenna, a good girl turned rebel after her own shocking photos made the rounds at school last year, who is still waiting for justice. All three deny leaking the photos, but someone has to take the fall. This edgy whodunit tackles hot-button issues of sexting and gossip and will have readers tearing through the pages to reach the final reveal.