If you know anything about me, you would know my favorite thing in the world, besides my adorable puppy and any Noah Centineo rom com, is books. I’ve built my life around them, including my major, with the hope that I will in the future be able to publish people’s books. Of course, this all culminates into me hoping that I’ll be able to publish my own book, but until then, I’m so excited to read the Young Adult books set to come out in the fall and to tell you all about them!
This is my dog, Mocha! She’s always having a good time and is the most adorable puppy ever! But moving on to books…
- Lady Rogue By Jenn Bennett
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Publication Date: September 3rd, 2019
Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. The one thing she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. He’s gifted that to his nineteen-year-old protégé, once upon a time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher— while Theodora is left to sit alone in Istanbul. Until Huck comes back from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father has been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler and that it just might be the key to finding him.
Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck find that they aren’t the only ones searching for the ring; a secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, and they will go to any lengths to possess it.
This is one of the most gorgeous covers I’ve ever seen, and you can own it already. Now you just have to head to your nearest independent bookstore. If you’re not completely sold on fantastical worlds, this type of book is the best way to slowly dip your toes into fantasy worlds. This is perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco.
- There Will Come A Darkness by Katy Rose Pool
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Publication Date: September 3rd, 2019
For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity, ending wars and uniting nations, until one day, one hundred years ago, the Prophets disappeared. All they left behind was one final prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation or the cause of its destruction. As chaos takes hold, five souls are set on a collision course. One of them— or all of them— could break the world.
This is one of the most anticipated reads from a debut author. As soon as I finish the books I’m currently reading, this is next on my list and I one hundred percent support all of you joining me in fangirling over this new book!
- Frankly in Love by David Yoon
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Publication Date: September 10th, 2019
Frank Li is caught between his parents’ traditional expectations and his own Southern California upbringing. His parents have on rule when it comes to romance: Date Korean. This proves complicated with Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful, and white. Joy Song is in a similar predicament, so they make a pact: pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank thinks it’s the perfect plan, but in the end, Frank and Joy’s fake-dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love at all.
You might know David Yoon as Nicola Yoon’s husband who also did the artwork for Everything, Everything, his wife’s book. I read a sampler for this book during the summer and once I sort out my life, this will definitely be the book I choose to pick up. It’s quick paced, refreshing, and would definitely get you out of the most extreme reading slump.
- SLAY by Brittany Morris
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Expected Publication: September 24th, 2019
Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. At home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not even her boyfriend who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the Black man.” When a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media. SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals, even as an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.” Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness.
SLAY is one of the most anticipated reads of the fall, along with others on this list. It’s everywhere online and everyone is talking about it, even though it hasn’t come out yet.
- The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring
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Expected Publication: September 24th, 2019
At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls. Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored. One of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence. In order to survive she must solve a cosmic mystery—and then fight for her life.
- Cursed by Frank Miller and Thomas Wheeler
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Expected Publication: October 1st, 2019
Nimue grew up as an outcast, her connection to dark magic making her something to be feared in her village, and that made her desperate to leave. That is until Red Paladins slaughter her entire village, and Nimue’s fate is forever altered. Charged by her dying mother to reunite an ancient sword with a legendary sorcerer, Nimue is now her people’s only hope. Her mission leaves no room for revenge but the growing power within her can think of little else. Nimue teams up with a charming mercenary named Arthur and refugee Fey Folk from across England. Wielding a sword meand for the one true king, Nimue struggles to unite her people, avenge her family, and discover the truth about her destiny.
This is currently set to become a Netflix original series. Created by Thomas Wheeler and legendary artist, producer, and director, Frank Miller, it features eight full color and thirty black-and-white pieces of original artwork by Frank Miller. I was fortunate enough to receive an Advanced Readers’ Copy (ARC) of this book, but I definitely will be in stores to purchase this as soon as possible.
- The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
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Expected Publication: October 1st, 2019
They call them the Good Luck Girls, though their luck is anything but. Sold to a “welcome house” as children and branded with cursed markings, five girls are trapped in a life they would never have chosen. When Clementine accidently murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape to find freedom, justice, and revenge on a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another. A bedtime story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.
Note: If you pre-order, you can get a limited-edition tote bag. All you have to do is submit a pre-order receipt.
- The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh
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Expected Publication: October 8th, 2019
In 1872, New Orleans is ruled by the dead. But to Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides a refuge after she is forced to leave her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the Ursuline convent, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the parties to the danger. Soon she is pulled into the city’s glitzy underworld, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, Sébastien Saint Germain. When one of the girls from the convent is found dead in Sébastien’s lair, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret. As more bodies are discovered, each more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become wrapped in the terror of a serial killer on the loose, one who has set Celine in his sights and may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue, Celine decides to take matters into her own hands and discovers an even bigger secret: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld which reveals a truth about Celine that she always believed was there.
If you thought vampires had died out with Twilight, you are massively mistaken. Renée Ahdieh has brought them back in full force. This is also one of the most gorgeous covers for this fall. So step into the 19th century and jump back onto the vampire train… unless you never really left.
Note: If you pre-order, this book and send your receipt to the publisher, you will get a gorgeous enamel pin.
- Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
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Expected Publication: October 15th, 2019
Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world, giving everyone a chance to test into the governing class of dragonriders. Now they are both rising stars in the new regime, though their histories couldn’t be more different. Annie’s lowborn family was executed by dragonfire and Lee’s aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training has made them rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet. But when survivors from the old regime surface, bent on reclaiming the city, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he’s come to believe in, including his ever-changing relationship with Annie. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves or to be the champion her city needs.
I need you to take a moment to look at this cover. It is brilliant in every way because if you look at the wings, you can see the outline of the main character’s profiles. If the story didn’t sell it, this cover definitely should.
- A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy
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Expected Publication: October 29th, 2019
Eva is a princess, born with the magick of marrow and blood, a magick that hasn’t been seen for generations in the vibrant but fractured country of Myre. The last practitioner of this magic is the reason for the Rival Heir tradition, that will force Eva to battle her older sister, Isa to the death if she hopes to ascent to the Ivory Throne. When Eva is attacked by an assassin just weeks before the battle with her sister, Eva understands that its not just her sister who wants her dead. Eva is forced to look for help in growing her magick into something to fear, because despite loving her sister, Eva has to choose: Isa’s death or her own.
I love nothing more than two sisters pitted against each other. Amanda Joy delivers on this in a fantastic world of fantasy and royalty. This is also a North African-inspired story, perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
- Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon
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Expected Publication: October 29th, 2019
In the walled city-state of Alu, Kammani wants nothing more than to be the accomplished healer her father used to be before her family was cast out of their privileged life in shame. When Alu’s ruler falls deathly ill, Kammani’s little sister, Nanaea, is chosen as one of the three sacred maidens to join him in the afterlife. It’s meant to be an honor, a tradition, and Nanaea believes it’s her chance to live an even grander life than the one stolen from her. But it’s a death sentence. Desperate to save her sister, Kammani schemes her way into the palace to heal the ruler. There, she discovers more danger than she could have ever imagined, leaving her own life and heart at stake. But she won’t stop at anything to dig up the palace’s buried secrets even if means sacrificing everything, including herself.
This has one of the most gorgeous covers of the fall, along with many other books on the list. It was originally meant to published in December, but Delacorte Press has done us an honor by pushing up the publication date.
- A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs
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Expected Publication: October 29th, 2019
Combining his acclaimed novella, The Sea Dreams It Is The Sky, and an all-new short novel, My Heart Struck Sorrow, Jacobs writes of the evil that breeds within the human soul. A mix of the psychological and supernatural, the novella examines life in a South American dictatorship, centered on the journal of a poet-in-exile and his failed attempts at translating a maddening text, told by a young women trying to come to grips with a country that nearly has destroyed itself. In the short novel, a librarian discovers a recording from the Deep South— which may be the musical stylings of the Devil himself.
With the creative imagination of John Hornor Jacobs directing you through this journey of darkness, this will be the perfect read for your Halloween adventures.
- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
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Expected Publication: November 5th, 2019
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he reads the stories of prisoners, key collectors, and acolytes, he finds a story from his own childhood, written even more vividly then the memory he has. Desperate to find how his life came to be written in this book, Zachary uncovers a series of clues— a bee, a key, and a sword— that leads him through a doorway to an ancient library, hidden far below the surface of the earth. Zachary finds this place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians, it’s a place of lost cities and seas, a place for lovers to pass notes under doors and across time, a place for the dead to tell stories. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed so much to protect his realm and of those who are intent on its destruction. With Mirabel, a fierce protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels and shores of this magical world, discovering his own purpose in the mysterious book and his own life.
I was fortunate enough to get an ARC of this at San Diego Comic-Con (I actually have an ARC of all of these books) but this is what I’m currently reading. Erin Morgenstern’s writing is absolute gorgeous in every way. And if you can’t wait for this book, I highly recommend reading her debut novel, The Night Circus.
- The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
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Expected Publication: November 5th, 2019
The first book in the Camelot Rising trilogy, Kiersten White reimagines the Arthurian legend of Camelot.
Princess Guinevere is in Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom’s borders, the wizard Merlin creates a solution— send in Guinevere to be Arthur’s wife and his protector from those who want to see King Arthur’s city fall. Except Guinevere’s true identity is all a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot. To keep the young king safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old, including Arthur’s own family, demand things to continue as they should be and the new fight for a better way to live. With interior struggle, magic waits at the borders to reclaim the land. And though Arthur’s knights believe themselves to be infallible, Guinevere knows that swords won’t be able to keep Camelot free.
- Songs from the Deep by Kelly Powell
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Expected Publication: November 5th, 2019
Moira Alexander has always been fascinated by the deadly sirens who stay among the shores of her island town. Though she knows that their songs can lead anyone to their death, she gets as close to them as possible, playing her violin on the edge of the enchanted sea. When a young boy is found dead on the beach, the islanders immediately assume that he’s one of the sirens’ victims. Certain that someone has framed the boy’s death as a siren attach, Moira convinces her childhood friend, the lighthouse keeper Jude Osric, to help her find the real killer. With townspeople itching to hunt the sirens down, and their own secrets threatening to unravel their fragile new alliance, Moira and Jude must race against time to stop the killer before it’s too late— for both humans and sirens.
- The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel José Older
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Expected Publication: November 5th, 2019
Marisol vanished during the Cuban Revolution, her fate unknown to everyone, including her family. Now, her nephew, Ramon, haunted by atrocities from the past, is visited by Marisol. Her one hope: that her descendant will unearth their painful family history. Ramon launches a loose investigation into the story of his ancestor, unaware of what is driving him on his search. Along the way, he falls in love, discovers his own sense of identity, has a run-in with a murderous gangster, and learns about each “lost saint” who helped Marisol during her imprisonment under Batista’s reign.
This story is a multigenerational Cuban American family story focused on loss, violence, revolution, and family.
Disclaimer: There are many books missing from this list. These are the books that you don’t need to have read any other series or book to understand.
I don’t know about you guys reading this, but I already hear my bank account depleting and my mother being upset with how many books I’ve bought, as it typically goes in my day to day life.