We’re getting closer and closer to Christmas! Yes, I am a Christmas nut, as evidenced by all the holiday and Christmas-themed posts of late. If you want some more holiday spirit, just check out these articles! Anyway, it’s Wednesday! So let’s look at some new releases, baby! This week it’s time for young adult novels. Other new releases of December 2017 can be found by genre right here on Goodreads.
- Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West
Publication date: December 26th, 2017
Everyone knows Abby Turner is in love with her best friend, Cooper Wells. Including Cooper Wells. But despite what people tell her, it doesn’t affect their friendship. And she’s practically over it, anyway. What she really can’t get over is when her boss at the local museum tells her that her paintings lack heart. Art is Abby’s passion and she hopes her future as well. She is determined to change his mind and earn her way into the upcoming exhibit at the gallery. So along with her family’s help, she compiles “The Heart List,” a series of soul-stretching experiences that are sure to make her a deeper person and better artist in six weeks or less. When Cooper decides to complete the list along with her, she realizes this list is expanding her heart in more ways than one. Maybe she needs to start another project. - The Young Queens by Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns #0.2)
Publication date: December 26th, 2017
Three black witches, born to a descending queen. One would rise to become queen in her place. Perhaps the strongest of the three. Perhaps the cleverest. Or perhaps it would be the girl born under the best shield of luck. Katharine, Arsinoe and Mirabella – three young queens born to fulfil their destiny – to fight to the death to win the crown. But before they were poisoner, elemental and naturalist, they were children, sisters and friends… - Three Sides of a Heart: Stories about Love Triangles by Renee Ahdieh, Rae Carson, Brandy Colbert, Katie Cotugno, Lamar Giles, Tessa Gratton, Bethany Hagan, Justina Ireland, Alaya Dawn Johnson, E. K. Johnston, Julie Murphy, Garth Nix, Natalie C. Parker, Veronica Roth, Sabaa Tahir & Brenna Yovanoff
Publication date: December 19th, 2017
You may think you know the love triangle, but you’ve never seen love triangles like these. These top YA authors tackle the much-debated trope of the love triangle, and the result is sixteen fresh, diverse, and romantic stories you don’t want to miss. A teen girl who offers kissing lessons. Zombies in the Civil War South. The girl next door, the boy who loves her, and the girl who loves them both. Vampires at a boarding school. Three teens fighting monsters in an abandoned video rental store. Literally the last three people on the planet. What do all these stories have in common? The love triangle. - The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily by Laura Creedle
Publication date: December 26th, 2017
When Lily Michaels-Ryan ditches her ADHD meds and lands in detention with Abelard, who has Asperger’s, she’s intrigued—Abelard seems thirty seconds behind, while she feels thirty seconds ahead. It doesn’t hurt that he’s brilliant and beautiful. When Abelard posts a quote from The Letters of Abelard and Heloise online, their mutual affinity for ancient love letters connects them. The two fall for each other. Hard. But is it enough to bridge their differences in person? This hilarious, heartbreaking story of human connection between two neurodivergent teens creates characters that will stay with you long after you finish reading. - Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill (Clash of Kingdoms #2)
Publication date: December 5th, 2017
Ever the Divided. Ever the Feared. Ever the Brave. After saving King Aodren with her newfound Channeler powers, Britta only wants to live a peaceful life in her childhood home. Unfortunately, saving the King has created a tether between them she cannot sever, no matter how much she’d like to, and now he’s insisting on making her a noble lady. And there are those who want to use Britta’s power for evil designs. If Britta cannot find a way to harness her new magical ability, her life—as well as her country—may be lost. The stakes are higher than ever in the sequel to Ever the Hunted, as Britta struggles to protect her kingdom and her heart.
Hmm, let’s see. I have read Kasie West before and loved it, so this book is already on my to-be-read list! I’ve heard about the second series before, but as usual, I won’t start it until the entire series is out. I’m not a big fan of anthologies, so the third book is out too! The fourth sounded kind of interesting until I read that last sentence: “neurodivergent teens”? Ugh! Also, it sounds like again another version of An Abundance of Katherines or Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares. And the final book sounds really interesting! I didn’t know about it before, so I’ll put this on my to-watch list for series as well. Yum! And that’s it for this week’s new releases! Do you agree with my picks, or not?
Happy reading,
Loes M.