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The Fandom’s Most Anticipated YA Books: September 2018

Mega September release edition! Listed in alphabetical order.

 

Any retelling of Alice In Wonderland has our attention, since the world is so vast and unpredictable. But L.L. McKinney isn’t just retelling a Wonderland tale, she’s introducing readers to a badass demon-fighting, black Alice and juxtaposing her time in Wonderland against life in modern Atlanta. We’re so ready for the wild ride this Alice will take us on!

The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she’s trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn’t always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice’s handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she’ll need to use everything she’s learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head… literally.

Out September 25th. Preorder now via Amazon or Indiebound!

They’ve already found killers encased in two major urban legends, now Audrey Rose and Thomas are in gritty sleuthing mode worth once again as a cross-Atlantic journey turns into a serial killer’s spree. The characters may be on the RMS Etruria, but we are on the RMS Cressworth, ifyagetwhatI’msayin’.

Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are en route to New York to help solve another blood-soaked mystery. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, they’re delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining the first-class passengers nightly.

But then, privileged young women begin to go missing without explanation, and a series of brutal slayings shocks the entire ship. The strange and disturbing influence of the Moonlight Carnival pervades the decks as the murders grow ever more freakish, with nowhere to escape except the unforgiving sea. It’s up to Audrey Rose and Thomas to piece together the gruesome investigation as even more passengers die before reaching their destination. But with clues to the next victim pointing to someone she loves, can Audrey Rose unravel the mystery before the killer’s horrifying finale?

Out September 18th. Preorder now via Amazon or Indiebound!

MOAR UGLIES UNIVERSE! Scott Westerfeld is taking us back into the world we love with a story of two sisters, Rafi and Frey– a privileged socialite and a hidden killer, respectively. When Frey is sent into the world in Rafi’s place, all hell breaks loose… and we are here for it!

Frey and Rafi are inseparable… but very few people have ever seen them together.

This is because Frey is Rafi’s double, raised in the shadow’s of their rich father’s fortress. While Rafi has been taught to charm, Frey has been taught to kill. Frey only exists to protect her sister. There is no other part of her life. Frey has never been out in the world on her own—until her father sends her in Rafi’s place to act as collateral for a dangerous deal. Everyone thinks she’s her sister—but Col, the son of a rival leader, is starting to get close enough to tell the difference.

As the stakes grow higher and higher, Frey must decide whether she can trust him—or anyone in her life.

Out September 11th. Preorder now via Amazon or Indiebound!

A new take on Pride and Prejudice set in modern Brooklyn with Afro-Latinx roots? Yes, please! Any take on this classic love story has our heart and if you’ve ever read Ibi Zoboi’s American Street, you know how electric the writing style will be!

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

Out September 18th. Preorder now via Amazon or Indiebound!

Part gripping mystery, part brutal commentary, Sadie is a brilliant novel. We already reviewed this one (and gave it five stars,) so check out our full range of spoiler-free thoughts here.

Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.

Out September 4th. Order now via Amazon or Indiebound!

Kiersten White wowwed us with The Conqueror’s Saga and we can’t wait to see what she’ll do with a tale as delectably gory as Frankenstein, just in time for the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s classic. We love watching the evolution of a dark characters, so this is bound to be a delight!

Elizabeth Lavenza hasn’t had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her “caregiver,” and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets… until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything—except a friend.

Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable–and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.

But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth’s survival depends on managing Victor’s dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost… as the world she knows is consumed by darkness.

Out September 25th. Preorder now via Amazon or Indiebound!

You may have thought it was a duology, but there’s more story coming out of the Three Dark Crowns universe! Thank the expansion gods (and Kendare Blake) because that means more history, more action, and more Pietyr! Check out our review here.

And with the fury of the dead queens roaring beneath her skin, her time has come. But many still challenge her rule, and with the whereabouts of her sisters unknown, Katharine’s anxiety grows. Then bodies mysteriously start washing ashore, throwing Fennbirn into a panic.

Hiding out on the Mainland, Arsinoe and Mirabella try to make a life for themselves away from all they’ve lost. But it’s not long until home beckons: Arsinoe is haunted by visions of the legendary Blue Queen, a rare and mystical fourth-born queen who died hundreds of years earlier.

Jules, after befriending a war-gifted girl named Emilia, learns there is a rebel army that wants to usurp the throne—and they want Jules to lead the charge.

Out September 4th. Order it now via Amazon or Indiebound!

The end of Warcross left us flailing, so we are absolutely chomping at the bit to see what happens with Emika, Hideo, Zero, and the Phoenix Riders in the duology’s conclusion! How can Hideo’s algorithm possibly be beat and what part will Emika play in doing so, especially with all those feelings involved? We can’t wait to watch it play out!

Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems–and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

Out September 18th. Preorder now via Amazon or Indiebound!

By Kait

Kait is a New Englander, a YA book and adaptation lover, and a Slythindor, as well as a red velvet and red wine enthusiast. She likes to like things. Catch her on Twitter: @kaitmary