May New Releases: New Young Adult Reads For Your Magical Side
Welcome to May 2022, bookworms! Just look at this awesome list of new young adult reads—of the fantasy and sci-fi variety, of course!
Check out the list below (organized by release date)!
May 3rd
By Maggie Stiefvater
What if you had one year to save everything you loved?
ONE PRINCESS. Merida of DunBroch needs a change. She loves her family—jovial King Fergus, proper Queen Elinor, the mischievous triplets—and her peaceful kingdom. But she's frustrated by its sluggishness; each day, the same. Merida longs for adventure, purpose, challenge—maybe even, someday, love.
TWO GODS. But the fiery Princess never expects her disquiet to manifest by way of Feradach, an uncanny supernatural being tasked with rooting out rot and stagnation, who appears in DunBroch on Christmas Eve with the intent to demolish the realm - and everyone within. Only the intervention of the Cailleach, an ancient entity of creation, gives Merida a shred of hope: convince her family to change within the year - or suffer the eternal consequences.
THREE VOYAGES. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Merida leads a series of epic journeys to kingdoms near and far in an attempt to inspire revolution within her family. But in her efforts to save those she loves from ruin, has Merida lost sight of the Clan member grown most stagnant of all—herself?
FOUR SEASONS TO SAVE DUNBROCH—OR SEE IT DESTROYED, FOREVER.
An Unreliable Magic (A Hundred Names for Magic Book 2)
By Rin Chupeco
The second book in the A Hundred Names for Magic trilogy, an unforgettable alternative history fairy-tale series from the author of The Bone Witch about found family, modern day magic, and finding the place you belong.
Tala, Alex, and the rest of their friends are safe for now, but know the Snow Queen is still out there. They have to be prepared for when she eventually attacks—and all decide to do so in their own way.
When Ryker comes out of the woodwork, showing himself when he starts attacking American detention facilities and freeing refugees. And the Nameless Sword, a legendary weapon that according to Avalon legend, will make its wielder the most powerful warrior of their time turns up with her name on it, Tala's life gets messier...But when the Snow Queen arrives with an unlikely ally, the group will have to work together.
Ballad & Dagger (Outlaw Saints Book 1)
By Daniel José Older
Almost sixteen years ago, Mateo Matisse's island homeland disappeared into the sea. Weary and hopeless, the survivors of San Madrigal's sinking escaped to New York.
While the rest of his tight-knit Brooklyn diaspora community dreams of someday finding a way back home, Mateo—now a high school junior and piano prodigy living with his two aunts (one who's alive, the other not so much)—is focused on one thing: getting the attention of locally-grown musical legend Gerval. Mateo finally gets his chance on the night of the Grand Fete, an annual party celebrating the blended culture of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews that created San Madrigal all those centuries ago.
But the evil that sank their island has finally caught up with them, and on the night of the celebration, Mateo's life is forever changed when he witnesses a brutal murder by a person he thought he knew.
Suddenly Mateo is thrust into an ancient battle that spans years and oceans. Deadly secrets are unraveled and Mateo awakens a power within himself—a power that not only links him to the killer but could also hold the key to unlocking the dark mystery behind his lost homeland.
Search for the Astral Dragon (Astral Alliance Book 1)
By Bryan Davis
This fast-paced YA space opera (reminiscent of Star Wars) follows a strong female protagonist, Megan, on an interplanetary search for her mother. On her journey, Megan witnesses the horrors of child trafficking and slavery and joins with a group of other teens to fight against corrupt systems and stand up for the vulnerable.
Full of unusual characters and daring escapes, Search for the Astral Dragon draws readers into a world of snarky spaceship computer systems, a variety of different sentient species, spaceship tech, and magical elements. Megan is smart and quick-thinking, competent with spacecraft technology, and a person of strong character who’s experiences give readers difficult questions to consider.
May 4th
Wicked Wishes: A Fiction-Atlas Press Anthology
By various authors
Be careful what you wish for...it just might come true... Join the authors of Wicked Wishes as they explore all the ways a simple wish can go horribly wrong! Will these characters be able to set things right again? Or is that just wishful thinking? 100% of proceeds from his anthology will benefit The World Literacy Foundation, a global not-for-profit that works to lift young people out of poverty through literacy. Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2003, the World Literacy Foundation operates on the principle that education is a basic human right.
May 10th
The Sylvan and the Sand: A Standalone Enemies to Lovers Fantasy Romance (The Book of All Things)
By Sarah M. Cradit
This book is upper YA/NA and may contain adult themes.
Marry your enemy. Dare to survive. Yesenia Warwick artfully dodges her father’s talks of marriage, set on proving she is just as capable as her brothers. Her three loves—kin, homeland, and independence—are all she needs. Corin Quinlanden suffers under the cruel contempt of his ruthless father and brother as they scheme and plot from their castle in the trees. He’s given up wishing for happiness. A strategic marriage, far from home, is as high as he dare dream. But the king of this realm has his own plan. Everything the gilded Quinlandens have “earned” was stolen from the Warwicks. So when all the leaders of the realm are summoned to a celebration with the king, both houses approach this fete balancing on a sharp blade’s edge. But the king’s celebration quickly turns to horror. The lords and ladies can only watch, helpless, as the devious king masterminds a series of marriages between their children, spinning the kingdom into chaos. Brash, fearless Yesenia Warwick is now the unwilling bride of tender-hearted Corin Quinlanden. Neither her silver-tongued wit, nor her unmatched skill with daggers, can erase what has been done. The choice ahead of her is simple, but impossible. Embrace her dangerous new life in the den of her enemy, or send the kingdom to war.
By Kelsey Kicklighter
A fae girl with a human heart. A Seelie Queen with a penchant for stealing mortals. And an Unseelie King who will have to give up his throne. On the coast of Georgia, there's a small southern town where faeries still take changelings. Faye lost her mother to the Folk, but has spent her whole life longing for a glimpse - however brief - behind the veil. When Faye finds her way in, she also finds the truth of why the dark and alluring world of the Folk has always called to her: she's half-faerie, and heir to the Dark Court's throne.
When the rival court steals her best friend, she'll have to claim her crown to get her back. But that means learning how to use her glamour so she can face three deadly trials - and not falling for the dark and brooding king she's meant to be replacing, or the nymph-turned-knight teaching her to fight.
May 17th
