By Sarah Ernestine, Genevieve Bernard, Meg Jones and Laura Riordan
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
22 June, Tor Books
In this brilliant and thrilling sequel to The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison takes her readers back to the world where Thara Celehar, a Witness for the Dead, was recruited to examine a mysterious murder. Although he uncovered the truth, his actions cost him everything – he lost his powerful position working for the former Empress and gained many enemies in the new Court. Now, Celehar lives in the distant city of Amalo, where he can happily serve the common people and live in peace. When his abilities force him out of his quiet life and drag him back into an unstable world, what cost to his life, and the lives of the people he has sworn to protect, will he have to pay?
Something Wild by Hanna Halperin
29 June, Penguin Random House
This evocative novel about sisterhood, motherhood and what it is to be a woman is a powerful commentary on the all-consuming love that ties families together. Sisters Tanya and Nessa put their lives on hold to return to their Boston family home to help their mother pack up and move out. It’s here, in their childhood home, that they find themselves back in a world where secrets were born, and jealousy, anger, fierce love and forgiveness coexisted between them all. They also discover a new shocking truth: their mother is in a violent relationship. Faced with the brutal reality of an abusive relationship, each woman must confront her past and reconcile her own feelings. Told through alternating perspectives that interweave the past and present, Something Wild is a searingly honest portrayal of the ways in which trauma ripples across generations, and how familial love can exist even among the most broken things.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
6 July, Knopf
Elizabeth Lin, author of the acclaimed series The Blood of Stars, releases the first book in a new duology this July. Six Crimson Cranes follows the Princess of Kiata, Shiori'anma, who hides the magic in her veins from her family and the world. When she loses control at her betrothal ceremony, she is exiled and her brothers are cursed and turned into cranes. Stepping out of line would mean sentencing her brothers to death, but Shiori must find a way to save them, her kingdom and herself – and this means teaming up with a dragon and the boy she was meant to marry. In this beautiful new story, Lim expertly weaves together the classic Cinderella and Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans with famous East Asian folktales and legends.
How to Find a Princess: Runaway Royals by Alyssa Cole
8 July, Avon
The second book in the Runaway Royals series, How to Find a Princess, is a retelling of Anastasia, in which Ibarania’s long-lost princess falls for the woman desperate to see her on the throne. Makeda isn’t interested in being Ibrarania’s missing heir - she just wants to get her failing career and love life under control. Instead, she is tracked down by private investigator Beznaria Chetchevaliere, whose alluring presence is almost enough to convince her to return home. It is for her grandmother’s sake, however, that Makeda begins the journey back to Ibrarania, only to learn that there’s more to ruling than wearing a crown, and that she must make a choice between duty and desire.
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
13 July, Penguin Random House
This haunting YA novel by Atlanta-based author Ryan Douglass follows the story of Jake Livingston. Jake is just a regular teenager who has to navigate being one of the only Black students at his school, as well as being a medium who sees ghosts everywhere he goes. When a new student, Allister, transfers to St. Clair Prep, Jake no longer feels so alone, but then the vengeful ghost of a troubled teen begins to haunt him, making high school a very dangerous place. Will he be able to survive his first crush and a persistent ghost? This novel is the perfect new read for fans of Get Out and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.