8 YA Books Not To Miss This Autumn

Wow, some great books have released so far this autumn–and there are still plenty more to come! I thought I’d write a little post here, recommending my favourites… So, here they are (in order of UK release date).

 

Mirage by Tracy Clark – 1 September 2016 (I’m going by the UK release date for this one) (HMH Books for Young Readers)

Seventeen-year-old Ryan Poitier Sharpe is a gutsy, outgoing girl who spends her summer days hurling herself out of planes at her parents’ skydiving center in the Mojave Desert. Fiercely independent and willing to take risks, she challenges those around her to live life fully. But after a brush with death, Ryan is severely altered—she’s not the same thrill-seeking girl she once was and seems to be teetering on the edge of psychosis. As her relationships crumble and her life unravels, Ryan must fight the girl she’s become—or lose herself forever—in this eerie and atmospheric thriller.

My thoughts: Wow, this book! A great, action-packed thriller with a deep message…

Ryan was such a great character–a strong, likeable girl who was soooo believable. And the writing in this book is beautiful. Sooo beautiful. My head’s kind of mush after reading this one as it was so good and I can’t stop thinking about the ending. All the characters were well-written, rounded, and had flaws.

This is the first book I’ve read by Tracy Clark, but I’ll definitely be picking up another!

Fragmented by Madeline Dyer – 7 September 2016 (Prizm Books)

After the terrible battle against the Enhanced Ones, Seven and Corin find themselves on the run. With the Enhanced closing in, Seven knows they need to find other people on their side. So, when the opportunity arises to join the Zharat, one of the last surviving Untamed tribes, it seems like the perfect solution.

But the Zharat lifestyle is a far cry from what Seven’s used to. With their customs dictating that she must marry into their tribe, and her relationship with Corin breaking down, Seven knows she has to do something before it’s too late. But that’s easier said than done in a tribe where going against the rules automatically results in death.

And, with the Enhanced still out there, nowhere is truly safe for the Untamed—least of all for the most powerful Seer in the world… and Seven soon discovers how far people will go in order to ensure that she’s on their side in the War of Humanity.

Battling against the emerging web of lies, manipulation, and danger, Seven must remember who she was meant to be. Her life has never been more at stake. Nor has humanity itself.

My thoughts: Okay, so this is my book–the second instalment in my dystopian series…  But Fragmented is super close to my heart. It was difficult to write–there’s some tough stuff in there–but I had to write it.

A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe – 13 September 2016 (Another World Press)

Sora’s life was full of magic—until she discovered it was all a lie.

Heir to Mt. Fuji’s spirit kingdom, Sora yearns to finally take on the sacred kami duties. But just as she confronts her parents to make a plea, a ghostly army invades the mountain. Barely escaping with her life, Sora follows her mother’s last instructions to a heart-wrenching discovery: she is a human changeling, raised as a decoy while her parents’ true daughter remained safe but unaware in modern-day Tokyo. Her powers were only borrowed, never her own. Now, with the world’s natural cycles falling into chaos and the ghosts plotting an even more deadly assault, it falls on her to train the unprepared kami princess.

As Sora struggles with her emerging human weaknesses and the draw of an unanticipated ally with secrets of his own, she vows to keep fighting for her loved ones and the world they once protected. But for one mortal girl to make a difference in this desperate war between the spirits, she may have to give up the only home she’s ever known.

With its breathtaking action, heart-wrenching conflict, and unexpected romance, this vivid standalone YA fantasy will delight fans of Julie Kagawa and Laini Taylor.

Dive into the captivating world of the kami today!

My thoughts: This is a fast-paced and addictive YA fantasy. Megan Crewe’s writing is beautiful and the characters just jump out of the page. Right from the start, I knew this was a book I’d love–and even more so when the ‘Chosen One’ trope has been turned on its head.

Highly recommended!

Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn – 4 October 2016 (Entangled Teen)

Sixteen-year-old Jessa Stone is the most valuable citizen in Eden City. Her psychic abilities could lead to significant scientific discoveries—if only she’d let TechRA study her. But after they kidnapped and experimented on her as a child, cooperating with the scientists is the last thing Jessa would do.

But when she discovers the past isn’t what she assumed, Jessa must join forces with budding scientist Tanner Callahan to rectify a fatal mistake made ten years ago. She’ll do anything to change the past and save her sister—even if it means aligning with the enemy she swore to defeat.

My thoughts: This is the sequel to Pintip Dunn’s New York Times bestselling debut novel, Forget Tomorrow…and I am just so excited to read it. In the UK, the ebook released on October 4th, but I’m waiting for the hardcover which will be available from November 8th. And I have no doubt that I’m going to love this book. I mean, I adored Pintip Dunn’s first two books (Forget Tomorrow and The Darkest Lie). And I can’t wait to see what happens next in this dystopian sci-fi world!

Black Flowers, White Lies by Yvonne Ventresca – 4 October 2016 (Sky Pony Press)

Her father died before she was born, but Ella Benton knows they have a supernatural connection. Since her mother discourages these beliefs, Ella keeps her cemetery visits secret. But she may not be the only one with secrets. Ella’s mother might be lying about how Dad died sixteen years ago. Newfound evidence points to his death in a psychiatric hospital, not as a result of a tragic car accident as her mother always claimed. After a lifetime of just the two of them, Mom suddenly feels like a stranger.

When a handprint much like the one Ella left on her father’s tombstone mysteriously appears on the bathroom mirror, at first she wonders if Dad is warning her of danger as he did once before. If it’s not a warning, could her new too-good-to-be-true boyfriend be responsible for the strange occurrences? Or maybe it’s the grieving building superintendent whose dead daughter strongly resembles Ella? As the unexplained events become more frequent and more sinister, Ella becomes terrified about who—or what—might harm her.

Soon the evidence points to someone else entirely: Ella herself. What if, like her father, she’s suffering from a breakdown? In this second novel from award-winning author Yvonne Ventresca, Ella desperately needs to find answers, no matter how disturbing the truth might be.

My thoughts:

Wow! This book is incredible. A tightly-written YA psychological thriller. Ella is a very interesting character–the perfect protagonist. This is one of those books that I’d just love to see as a movie.

Highly recommended!

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow – 6 October 2016 (Rock the Boat)

Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she’s already lost more than most people lose in a lifetime. But she’s learned how to forget. The thick glass of a mason jar cuts deep, and the pain washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don’t have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you.

Every new scar hardens Charlie’s heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.

My thoughts: So, wow.

The writing here is amazing, Charlotte’s voice just carries through the pages–I felt everything that she did: her questions in the beginning, the confusion. And I really enjoyed the way in which it’s written: the choppy start/stop/start momentum of the narrative really added to it.

Highly recommended!

Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog – 1 November 2016 (Sourcebooks Fire)

Victoria Zell doesn’t fit in, but she’s okay with that. All she needs is the company of her equally oddball boyfriend, Andrew. She doesn’t care what anyone else thinks…until magnetic, charming, mysterious Z comes into her life, and she starts lying to everyone she knows in an effort to unravel his secrets. And then something terrible happens. Someone is dead and it’s time for Victoria to come clean. Interspersed with news clippings and police interviews, Victoria tells her story to Andrew, revealing her dark, horrible secrets…secrets that have finally come back to haunt her.

My thoughts: Well, this is one of those books that I just can’t wait to read.

I loved Cyn’s other books–as well as those she’s written under her pseudonym–and as soon as I read the back cover copy for Unnatural Deeds I knew it would be top of my list for autumn reads.

I mean, I love anything that has secrets in it.

Return of the Continuums by Jennifer Brody – 1 November 2016 (Turner Publishing)

As Myra Jackson and her friends set out to find the First Continuum, Captain Aero Wright and two companions from the outer space Second Continuum find themselves banished for treason and stranded on Earth. Wright has vowed to complete his late father s mission to recolonize their ancestral planet, but his true mission is to find the mysterious girl who haunts his dreams. Meanwhile, Myra and the young refugees of the underwater Thirteenth Continuum must make an unlikely ally if they are going to survive the hostile surface world and reach their destination, the nexus of humanity s hope for survival. As their paths begin to converge, the Beacons that guide and connect Myra and Aero begin to prove their power, and a shadowy force with a centuries-old grudge reveals itself.

My thoughts: I loved loved loved the first book in the Continuums trilogy. I mean, who wouldn’t love a sci-fi dystopian novel about a world where people live underwater, in space, or underground. It’s perfect. And book two–well, I can’t wait to read it!