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December New Releases: New Young Adult Reads of Curses and Star-Crossed Lovers



It’s time to cozy up next to the fire with these magical new young adult reads! Seriously, you won’t want to miss the enchanting and epic sci-fi and fantasy books on this list.


Check out the December 2022 titles (organized by release date):



December 6th



by Maria Vermisoglou


Welcome to Eclipse, where we serve the most magical Margaritas you'll ever taste.


When Nycholas, the immortal owner of the bar, gets killed, the balance spirals out of control.

In order to hunt down the monster and stop the apocalypse, we pull Eclipse into the magical side. But with the discovery of my magic powers comes an abundance of supernatural species.

They're here, and they're thirsty for Midnight Moon. One wrong ingredient and I'm done for.

When Fino shows up, my troubles begin. He’s hot, smart and funny. Or does he have a dark side?


My name is Cal and I’m the drink whisperer. One drop and you’ll be hooked!



by Mara Rutherford Outsiders are always given a choice: the Forest or the lake. Either way, they’re never heard from again. Leelo has spent her entire life on Endla, coexisting with the bloodthirsty Forest and respecting the poisonous lake that protects her island from outsiders who seek to destroy it. But as much as Leelo cares for her community, she struggles to accept that her younger brother will be exiled by his next birthday, unless he gains the magic of enchanted song so vital to Endla. When Leelo sees a young outsider on the verge of drowning in the lake, she knows exactly what she’s supposed to do. But in a moment that will change everything, Leelo betrays her family, her best friend, and Endla by making an unthinkable choice. Discovery could lead to devastating consequences for both Leelo and the outsider, Jaren, but as they grow closer, Leelo realizes that not all danger comes from beyond the lake—and they can only survive if Leelo is willing to question the very fabric of her society, her people, and herself.




by Alexandra Overy


Awakening to find herself trapped in a strange tower, Izaveta knows she must find her way back to the Tóurensi palace and claim the throne. But even with an unexpected ally’s help, she worries she might not be able to get news of her survival to her sister and escape this frozen land.


Back at home, Asya enlists Nikov’s help to prove Izaveta is still alive, even as she finds herself forced to navigate the political world she always sought to avoid to save her queendom, her loved ones, and herself.


But as the sisters work independently to reunite, a dangerous force lies in wait, trying to regain power in order to overthrow the monarchy…



by Lisa Maxwell

Unite the Stones Free the City Remake the World Once, Esta believed that she could change the fate of magic. She traveled to the past and stopped the Magician from destroying a mystical book that held the key to freeing her people from the Brink, an energy barrier that traps all Mageus who cross it. But the Book was more than she bargained for. So was the Magician she was tasked to steal it from. Hunted by an ancient evil, Esta and Harte have raced through time and across a continent to track down the powerful artifacts they need to bind the Book’s devastating power. They’ve lost family, betrayed friends, and done what they’d both vowed never to do: fallen in love with the one person who could truly destroy them. Now, with only one artifact left, their search has brought them back to New York, the city where it all began. But nothing in Manhattan is as they left it. Their friends have scattered, their enemies have grown more powerful, and as the deadly Brink beckons, their time is running out. If they can’t find a way to end the threat they’ve created, then the very heart of magic will die—and it will take the world down with it.




by A.K. Wilder


Amassia teeters on the brink of the next Great Dying.


The second sun has returned as our Bone Throwers foresaw--casting the nine realms into war.


My name is Ash, and I fell in the battle for Baiseen. But I’m awake now, slowly putting the pieces back together.


My Heir has lost his throne.

My sailor is gone.

And there is an emptiness inside me I can’t explain.


Amid the chaos, someone must collect the original twelve whistle bones from all corners of the world. Marcus is named to lead the cause, but with his volatile phantom, he’ll need diplomacy as much as his sword. And we are not the only ones to seek the bones.


Yet succeed we must.

Because if we don’t, it will be death to all…



by Melissa Landers


The answers lie within.


Boarding school student Talia Morris has no idea her boyfriend, Nathaniel, is a Mystic, let alone second in line to the throne of a secretive, aspirational magical community—one no mortal has ever been allowed to step inside. Until now.


Nathanial's cousin is about to be married in the biggest wedding the magical world has ever seen, and Nathaniel is allowed to bring a date. Talia is the lucky recipient of the golden ticket every Mystic wannabe in the world would kill for—only she doesn't want it. Talia thinks Mystic worship unnecessarily aggrandizes people for being born a certain way. When she finds out Nathaniel is "one of them," she almost jumps ship. But Nathaniel loves her, and she loves him. So when he begs her to give his family and their community a shot, she reluctantly agrees.


Enter the most fantastical world any mortal has ever seen, and a magical wedding straight out of a dream. After a few days of bonding with Nathaniel's family on the island, of seeing how beautiful their magic is and how peaceful their community, Talia's about to be won over—until the entire wedding party suddenly falls into an unexplainable coma and the community goes on lockdown. Talia, the outsider, is pegged as the culprit and has to do everything in her meager non-power to prove her innocence.


As she embarks on a journey to find the truth, Talia soon discovers reality is not all it seems, and her past may put her in more danger than she ever imagined. In this captivating YA fantasy, Talia must solve a multigenerational mystery and break a curse, all the while being torn between making her family proud and regaining the trust of the boy she loves.




by Melissa Wright


A dark curse. A deadly secret. The ill-fated girl at the heart of both. Antonetta Ostwind is about to get everything she’s ever wanted. If all goes to plan, she’ll end the fae, steal back what was stolen, and win the post she’s dreamed of since she was a girl. There’s just one problem. His name is Gideon Alexander. Gideon holds the key to her coveted post. He’s fantastic with a sword, looks amazing in uniform, and commands even the adoration of his great, beastly dog. He’s living the life Etta needs. Gideon doesn’t believe Etta should have any of it. In fact, he’s planning to make sure she never does. And that’s a real problem, because if Etta can’t take her post as marshal, how can she have her vengeance and save the kingdom from the prince of the fae?


 

This article was written by Allison Rose.


Allison Rose writes YA fantasy featuring magic and otherworldly beings. Her current series feature a truly unique world of Faerie. Click the covers below to check them out.



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